


The Way Home

by ravenstrange



Category: Mass Effect: Andromeda
Genre: F/M, Flashbacks, Fluff and Angst, Information Brokers, Not A Happy Ending, POV Reyes Vidal, Pre-Andromeda Backstory, Reyes & Ryder have history, Ryder Siblings & Reyes are old friends, Shadow Broker Agents
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-12-06
Updated: 2021-01-17
Packaged: 2021-03-09 18:07:13
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 15
Words: 25,706
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27920494
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ravenstrange/pseuds/ravenstrange
Summary: It's 600 years away from everything he knew, and 610 years away from when he last spoke to Evie Ryder. But he's made a new life for himself; one he hopes that maybe, in some way, Evie would have been proud of. It's not 'good' honest work, and it's not really all that honest either, but it keeps him busy and on his toes. Eventually, Kadara would be his.Until, he gets news that the Human Pathfinder is in Heleus, and it's not who he expected.Evie is on her way to Kadara Port, looking for a Resistance contact, and (un)fortunately he's just the man she's looking for.(Female Ryder/Reyes story, where Reyes, Evie, and Scott were friends growing up and knew each other before Andromeda. Not a happy ending.)
Relationships: Female Ryder | Sara & Reyes Vidal, Female Ryder | Sara/Reyes Vidal, Ryder & Reyes Vidal, Ryder/Reyes Vidal
Kudos: 17





	1. Chapter 1

“You’re a pain in the ass, do you know that?” Her words mean to bring out distain in her voice, but all it brings out is a teasing tone and a smirk across her lips.

He nudges his shoulder against her own, and grins in return. “It’s one of the reasons you adore me, Ryder.”

Her laugher fills the room, as she leans her head back as she does so, “Oh honey don’t push your luck,” She shakes her head as she shifts again to face him once more, “ _Tolerate_ at best.”

“So, you only have eyes for me. Got it.”

“Vidal, you’re _seriously_ pushing it.”

It’s his turn to laugh, and as she punches his arm lightly, he pretends to wince in pain. This causes her to give him a _real_ punch, and he really winces. She laughs again.

“I’m going to miss this,” She says, as her laughter subsides. She stands up from the edge of the bed and fixes her ponytail.

Reyes leans back on his hands, looking around the dorm room, and shrugs. “Who knows, the Alliance could bore you to death, and we’ll be back causing chaos.”

Her hands move from the tie that holds her hair up, and she fluffs out the blonde hair. He can’t remember if he’s ever seen Evie with her hair down. He wants to.

Just _once_.

She shrugs, her hands returning to rest on her hips, an eyebrow raised in his direction, “I’m sure my Dad wouldn’t like that. And besides, I got to prove to Scott he’s not the better twin.”

He laughs, but the laughter subsides rather quickly. It’s his turn to stand, to cross over to her. He puts his hands on her shoulders. “I keep telling you, you have nothing to prove. But you have to do what you have to do. Just…” His confidence is failing him. She’s the only person who sees the vulnerability, but he chalks it up to growing up with her and Scott. History is one thing you can never run from.

Evie places her hands over his on her shoulder, before she moves and instead wraps her arms around his neck and gives him a hug. “I’ll be _fine_ ,” She says, and before the hug parts, she kisses his cheek. “I’ll be in touch, okay?”

The lingering feeling, he has as she steps away from him and heads for the door takes him by surprise, but he hides it. The confident exterior is building back up quickly. She notices it, and smirks.

She always notices.

“Alright, you win. Good luck,” He winks, and after he opens the door. She walks out into the hallway, and she looks back to him. He fires finger guns at her, “Knock them dead.”

She laughs, and waves goodbye as she heads down the hall. He sticks his head out to see her walking away and shuts the door.

He puts his hands in his pockets, his right hand finding something in his pocket, and he pulls the door open again, running down the hallway to catch her.

He finds Evie waiting at the elevator, a look of surprise when he catches up to her.

“I thought we said our goodbyes,” She smirks, and he does the same in reply.

“Yeah, but I wanted to give you this.” He takes his hand out of his pocket and reveals a old brown leather wrap bracelet he’s owned for years. He places it in her hand.

Her features soften at the gesture, and he expects her to say something snarky. Something to tease him. Instead there’s something else on her face as she looks at it, and then looks at him.

He watches as she lifts the bracelet to her ponytail, and wraps the leather around the tie, and fastens it shut.

“Thanks, Vidal,” She says softly, as the doors to the elevator slide open, and she steps in.

“Yeah,” He replies, and waves to her as the doors shut.

He leaves the academy a week later.

Evie and Reyes keep in touch for three months until her correspondence drops off completely, and he gets caught up in a new job.

He misses her but doesn’t admit to it. As she always said, he’s just too stubborn.

It had been ten years since he last spoke to her.

***

“ _Fuck,”_ he mutters under his breath, running through the halls of the Presidium Commons and towards the elevators.

Sure, he was caught up in yet another scheme, but he was certain the Shadow Broker wouldn’t want him to _not_ do his job. Right?

Sure, he was now running away from someone trying to kill him _again_ , but that wasn’t the _worst_ thing. He had worst things happen. Like taking a bullet, that was one of them.

But he was running late for an especially important interview.

He slides into the elevators just as the doors shut, and when he reaches the Human Embassy, he rests a little easier – his pursuer isn’t going to follow him here. Not if they don’t want a galactic war.

He jogs down the hallway to a row of offices, until he hits the receptionist desk. He puts on a wide grin and winks at the woman behind the desk. She goes a bright shade of red and waves him into the conference room to her left.

When Reyes opens the door, he sees one woman sitting at the end of a long table. “Apologies for being late, I do hope you weren’t waiting to long,” He smoothly starts, and the woman scoffs.

“If it wasn’t for your credentials and what you can do, I wouldn’t still be here, Mr. Vidal.”

He bows, and raises an eyebrow, “Wonderful, because Ms. Garson I believe the Initiative needs me.”

Jien Garson laughs, but it’s not a light laugh. She leans forward in her chair, her hands held together as she rests them on the table. “No, I believe _you_ need _us_.”

She slides the file in front of her towards him, and he sinks into a chair as he opens it and skims the content.

He knows when he’s made.

“I’m listening,” he says.

“Good.”

***

He signs up with the Initiative, and the bounty on him mysteriously disappears. He starts to recruit those like him; people who want a second chance, people who want a new life, people who are _good_ at gathering information.

He’s so caught up in recruitment, per Garson’s request, that he misses the announcement on who the Human Pathfinder is.

Almost.

He _almost_ misses it.

When he boards the Nexus for the first time, and sees Alec Ryder’s face staring back at him, he swallows hard.

“The eyes sort of follow you around the room, don’t they?”

A voice speaks to him, and he turns to face someone he doesn’t know. A woman, a friend of a friend, he recognizes. He laughs, “They do. He’s a tough person to live up to.”

“Oh yeah?” She asks, “You have experience?”

Reyes just laughs, “No.” He smoothly lies, “Just I know the type.”

“Don’t we all.” The woman smiles and holds out her hand. “Zia.”

“Reyes,” he replies, taking her hand and shaking it.

Zia reminds him a little of Evie, but her hair is too short, and her smile isn’t big enough. “Let’s see what they have for drinks around here before we go into Cryo, huh?” She says, and he gestures broadly.

“Lead the way.”

As he walks away from the screen, the image of the Human Pathfinder changes to him and his team, the Ryder siblings shown standing next to their father.

But he doesn’t see it.

***

He doesn’t set up with the Outcasts, because Sloane Kelly is, quite honestly, an asshole. He can deal with assholes, of course, he’s been known to _be_ one, but she’s a special breed. Short of dictatorship, and short tempered, enough to get anyone killed for looking at her wrong.

This isn’t the future he wanted for himself, 600 years away from everything he knew. He was set up to become something else, something _more_.

It’s Zia’s suggestion that they gather a group like them. Smugglers, or other soldiers of fortune looking to start out on their own. Not to be part of the Initiative, and not be part of the Outcasts. Something else completely different.

When they’re fighting off Adhi in a cave, and finally kill them all, he’s the one who makes the first move and shoves Zia against a cave wall and kisses her.

He has cuts and scars after from the cave walls and floors, and she has the same. It doesn’t feel like anything other than satisfying a need, but she’s a body to stay warm with, and someone to drink with.

It lasts just as long as it needs to, before she’s wanting to go for bigger scores and he has other ideas on his mind.

She’s angry when she sees him out with someone new, but he’s indifferent to seeing her with one of Sloane’s top men. She always cared more than he did.

The relationship served its purpose, even if he’s not sure what that purpose was.

***

“Well?” Keema asks, as she gestures towards the base in the center of the cave, far into the labyrinth of paths and ditches. “Think it will work?”

“What was it before?” His feet kick at the stairs, still sturdy, but needs work. He’s making mental notes of what needs to be repaired to keep people safe.

“Resistance base. Once the Kett were cleared out, Evfra did not see a need to keep a faction here. It has been sitting empty for months.”

“He won’t come back for it?”

“No,” Keema laughs, “he’s got his hands full with...everything else.”

He nods in understanding, “Repairs have to be made.”

“That’s easy.”

“And food?”

“Gardens with good soil is around the back.”

“Water purifiers?”

“Down that path, all wired up to the main room on the third floor.”

Reyes turns back to her, and smirks, “Cells?”

Keema laughs at that, and gestures for him to follow her, and he does. In front of them is a large door, easily guarded, not so easily escaped. “Will this do?”

“I hope I don’t need to use it,” He says, for the sake of saying it. He doesn’t _want_ to use it, but he knows it’s only a matter of time before the Outcasts become wise to the growing operation under Sloane’s feet and behind her back.

Keema simply smiles as an acknowledgement about his statement. He’s noticed that she is careful with what she says, and what she does not say. He appreciates that. And as the Angaran representative to the Outcasts and Kadara Port, she needs to keep things a certain way.

It works.

***

It’s been 11 months, 11 long months of forging a path, of being stuck. Making a name for himself as a man who could get things done _discreetly_. Information brokering, but there was no Shadow Broker anymore. There was just him, and what he needed to get done.

But a few words in the right ears, and a rumor starts.

An idea spread.

Ideas are strong, and ideas are powerful in placed in the minds of enough people. People follow an idea.

And people are willing to join up with the Collective if it means it will help make Kadara a better place for those against Sloane’s ideals. Battling from the shadows, just as Reyes had always been trained to do. Just as he had done for the Shadow Broker in the Milky Way, he could do the same now.

“The Collective needs a leader,” Keema tells him one night privately at her home in Kadara Port.

“Not a public one,” He replies.

“An illusion of one.”

“I think that can be managed.”

And so, The Charlatan, and all the power that came with the title, was born.

***

He’s careful at how he builds up the Collective. Sloane is very public with how she recruits exiles into the Outcasts, but he has to work in the shadows. Select the correct people for the job, the correct people to push Kadara forward, not into the sulfur pits to dissolve away.

Zia is one of the first people he recruits. She doesn’t know it’s him, and she brags to him over drinks at Kralla’s Song that she’s joined a new gang. “I’m part of the Collective now, Reyes,” She boasts proudly, and she doesn’t notice the Outcasts nearby that hear her.

He does.

“And how does that work exactly?” He replies, disinterest coloring his voice and words. They’re cordial these days, but she pushes the boundaries. She wants a reaction out of him that she’ll never get.

She told him once that his passion was always misplaced, and it would piss her off. It was never in the direction that she wanted.

“I was contacted directly by the Charlatan,” She whispers, with a grin.

A lie, he knows.

“Who are they?”

“I can’t say,” She continues to lie, “I was worn to secrecy, but it’s only a matter of time before I go up the ranks.”

Reyes leans back in his chair and holds up his glass, “A toast then, Zia. To your future.”

“Finally, something we can agree on!” She cheers with him and they both drink. As she sets her glass down, she looks him over. “You going to pick a side?”

Reyes scoffs, and shakes his head. “Why? I’m able to work with everyone, and I plan on keeping it that way. I like being freelance, Zia.”

She rolls her eyes and changes the subject to her new boyfriend.

He pretends to listen, and once she leaves, he heads up to the bar to pay Umi his tab, transferring the credits to her Omni-Tool.

“Hey, you hear?” She asks as he walks away, and he turns around to look at her. When she doesn’t immediately offer up the information, he sighs heavily and transfers more credits to her.

She was more of a free agent than he claimed to be. It got annoying, at times. But, was also admirable.

“Ark Hyperion showed up to the Nexus,” She says, keeping her voice low, “Pathfinder and all.”

Reyes’ eyes widen ever so slightly before he controls his reaction. Umi smirks at this. He’ll deal with that later. “How do you know this?”

“I have my ways,” She replies, before she wanders off to yell at another patron.

He realizes, as he heads back to the Slums, that opportunity has just presented itself.

***

When he returns to his private room in Tartarus, he locks the door behind him and immediately goes to the terminal. He reads the messages sent to him – but hardly replies to the ones he gets.

He gets onto the extranet and searches for the public information.

_HABITAT 7 (HNS) - Pathfinder Alec Ryder Killed_

_The human Pathfinder has died. Alec Ryder was killed after touching down on Habitat 7 in the Eriksson System. Ryder's daughter has reportedly replaced him as Pathfinder, taking command of the Tempest in the ongoing search for a home in Andromeda._

Reyes takes a step back from the terminal, his fingers tapping on his lips for a moment, scanning the words over again.

Alec Ryder was dead.

But his _daughter_ replaced him?

He paces around the largely empty room, for the first time in recent weeks unsure of what to do with himself.

Did he bother to reach out?

Had he even known that Evie was here? Why was she here?

It had been years…over 610 now to be exact.

And as he sat down on the couch, he for once found himself at a loss for words.


	2. Chapter 2

Once it became wildly known what had happened to the Human Pathfinder, Ark Hyperion, and what was happening on the Nexus, it was easier to gain a stronger following.

News of what ‘Pathfinder Ryder’ and her crew on the Tempest were doing was giving hope to those who were restless under Sloane’s rule.

There was excitement, but also paranoia in the air. Would there be more assassination attempts on Sloane?

Normally, he wouldn’t care about that, given he had once sent a few of his lesser performing agents as a statement to the rest of the Collective. But now, it would cause chaos.

News on what the Pathfinder was doing was reported through the channels up to him. IF there was an opportunity there, he would take it.

He told himself it wasn’t about Evie. This was about Kadara, this was about the people in the Collective, this was about the men and women that wanted a better life.

Would she remember him, if they saw each other?

Would he be so bold as to speak to her after all this time?

“Reyes,” Keema’s voice brought him back to the present. “Were you listening to me?”

“I would tell you that I absolutely was, but you would know that is a lie,” He replied quickly, a grin to his lips, a shine to his eyes.

The hands on her hips and scowl on her face proved that she didn’t like his reply, and he sighed and shrugged as an apology.

“Are you going to listen to me? Or are you going to drift off into your imagination again?”

He rolled his eyes but held up his hand. She stayed silent as he opened his omni-tool and blocked the sound from the room. A common tactic used in Tartarus, and though it was swept regularly, there was nothing that he could take for granted. “Okay,” He nodded.

Keema scoffed in annoyance for a moment, before starting (he assumed) over. “Evfra and I have been speaking. He wished for me to pass a message to _Shena_.”

Reyes sits a little straighter, “He could have contacted me directly.”

“He preferred not to. There is…a new variable in play.”

“Meaning?”

“There was a traitor in the Resistance that turned in the Moshae to the Kett; Sloane has him captured and in the cells. Many Angara wish to see him executed for his crimes. Evfra wishes to have him returned to the Resistance; but Sloane will not speak with me on the matter.”

Reyes leaned back into the couch, “And this is where I come in. I can go ahead and—”

“Wait,” Keema held up her hand, “This is where our variable comes into play.”

His eyes narrow a bit at the _variable_ , because he didn’t like them. A unknown could destroy everything they had built up, and the momentum he had going. The more days that passed, the more the Collective grew. The more it was getting easier to disappear into the shadows and rule from representatives, continuing gathering information.

He sometimes wondered if this was what it was like for the Shadow Broker. Whomever they were. He always had been curious.

“What is it?”

“The Pathfinder.”

There was a sudden tightness in his chest, his throat went dry. He leaned back forward, picking his drink up from the table in front of the couch and took a long drink. “What about them?”

“According to Evfra, the Resistance is working with the Pathfinder to destroy the Kett. The Pathfinder saved the Moshae and took down a large Kett facility. In what the Resistance had been struggling to do for months, she did in a matter of _days_.

_She_. It was the only word he was focusing on. He cleared his throat again, and Keema looked at him with curiosity. “Are you well? You seem sickly,” She commented, and Reyes nodded.

“Yes, it’s…a human reaction to something.”

“To the Pathfinder?” She looked…almost amused as she spoke, and he wondered if he was caught.

“In this particular instance…yes.”

“Interesting, I’ll keep that in mind.” Keema’s reaction was as close to a smirk as he had seen her give, and opted not to press further, “Evfra has sent her to Kadara Port to see what can be done about the traitor. You are to be her point of contact.”

“Am I.”

“Is that a problem?”

Reyes grins a million-watt grin, and shakes his head, “Of course not, I look forward to meeting the Pathfinder.”

“As do I, when I am able.” Keema stands up and hands Reyes the datapad she had been holding onto. “This has all the information that you need. We’ll speak soon, I am sure.”

She leaves the room with ease, the door sliding open and closing after her, and he’s left alone again to his own devices.

He collects his things in a small canvas bag, and heads out of the room towards his home out in the hills of Draullir; far enough from the Collective Base that no connection can be made, but close enough that through the scope of his Viper he can see who is coming and going clearly if he so chooses.

He takes a shuttle out to the edge of the region and hikes the rest of the way, taking short cuts through tunnels in the mountains only a few know before he’s finally home.

The modest looking home is small, but it’s all that he needs. He has to live small, even if he’s pushing around enough credits to make Jien Garson herself blush if she was still alive. In the home there is a small kitchen area to the left, and to the right is a small couch and terminal, with a set of stairs leading up to where his bed resides. It’s small, but it’s his, and it’s private.

And privacy is exactly what he needs now. To focus, to mentally prepare himself.

_“Hey, asshole!” The hand slaps down hard on Reyes’s shoulder, and he laughs – he’s not offended at the action, because he knows who is behind it._

_Scott Ryder takes a seat next to Reyes in the booth at Purgatory, as Evie gets them more drinks. She’s brought a friend she wants Reyes to meet; and he’s pretending to be interested but he’s not sure it’s convincing._

_“Does my sister know you’re into her?”_

_Apparently, he wasn’t convincing at all._

_Reyes laughs it off, and smirks at Scott, “Why, are you jealous?”_

_“Me?” Scott laughs, “Nah, you’re trouble. I hate trouble.”_

_“Sure, you’re a regular schoolboy, very proper. How’s Lea by the way?”_

_“Lea was two months ago. Its Chrissy now.”_

_“Yep, you’re a total prude.”_

_Scott laughs again, “But seriously, are you going to tell her? She’s leaving for training soon.”_

_“Yeah, we all are,” Reyes lies, his intention of dropping out of the Alliance not something he wanted to tell either of them. To him, Scott and Evie were family. More importantly, he cared about what they thought. He cared_ more _about what Evie thought, but that was another matter entirely._

_The interrogation by Scott is cut short by Evie returning with drinks, as she slides into the booth on the other side of Reyes. “Jo left already,” She says, the expression on her face sad, “Said she wasn’t really feeling it. I’m sorry, Reyes, I thought you two might hit it off!”_

_He shrugs it off and takes the drink she brought over into his hand, lifting it to his lips, “No harm, I’m not really looking for anything serious anyway.”_

_On the other side of him, Scott coughs in an obnoxiously fake way, but only Reyes notices. Evie gives Scott a look but shrugs it off._

_The conversation shifts, and eventually Scott disappears somewhere else in the club, and Reyes and Evie are left to return to their dorm apartments on the Citadel drunk._

_They wrap their arms around each other, using the other as weight to stabilize, but stumble a few times. She’s telling tall tales about her training, and he’s telling her even taller tales about his training that he’s not actually doing._

_Making it to her apartment is a struggle, but they get there, and as she opens the door, she stumbles again and falls into his arms. He manages to catch her, and for a moment they just look at each other._

_Her lips part, and his eyes drift to them, his heart leaps forward._

_She leans in…and suddenly leans back, her cheeks flushed. “Goodnight, Vidal,” the use of his last name sobering him up a bit and he wonders if the wording is intentional, “Thanks for the walk back. I’ll see you tomorrow?”_

_He clears his throat, recovering smoothly (he thinks), and nods. “Night, Ryder.” He smiles until her door shuts and he stumbles down the hall to his own home._

There aren’t many people that can catch him off guard. Importantly, there is _no one_ in Andromeda that can catch him off guard.

He’s excited about the prospect of seeing her. Things have changed in the last years, and now being 600 years away from everything they both knew, things changed even more than expected.

But it brings up potential complications that he’s not sure he’s completely ready for. There is _one_ thing he can do, for now.

The terminal in his home is turned on, as he brings up the heavily encrypted channel; set to destroy messages after reading, and any tracking literally impossible.

_Encrypted Channel: Collective Representatives_

_Pathfinder and Crew coming to Kadara Port. Pathfinder is off-limits; not to be harmed. Any Collective members in violation of this rule will swiftly be dealt with. All reports on business required by next Solar day._

It isn’t a lot, but it’s a start.

And now, all he has to do is wait.


	3. Chapter 3

It’s a week before the Tempest touches down in Kadara Port, but when it does, _everyone_ notices.

Whispers that the Pathfinder was here to take over Kadara for the Nexus ran rampant, even though there was no evidence to suggest that. There were even rumors that Alec Ryder’s daughter killed her father to take over the role of Pathfinder; the person who suggested that was unfortunately one of the Collective. Said person also…was dealt with, discreetly by one of his top operatives.

The last thing Reyes wanted was false rumors to start spreading around. If there was one thing that he remembered about Evie and Scott, it was that while they might not have been close to their father, they respected and loved him. So, the rumor that Evie might have done something to Alec? Hurtful and baseless rumors, Reyes was sure of it. Nothing more.

He would need to make contact with Evie at Kralla’s Song, per Evfra’s request. She’d be looking for an Angara, no doubt, and with a code name like _Shena_ , he couldn’t blame her for thinking that.

Normally, Reyes would be approaching any job with confidence and an obnoxious sense of pride. This was…different. Nothing in Andromeda seemed to scare him, even when he was faced with escaping the Nexus, navigating a ship through the Scourge to follow the Exiles to Kadara. Not even when fighting against the Kett when they got on the planet, though he would deny his involvement in clearing the Kett from the base once Sloane took sole responsibility of it.

But the potential of being reunited with part of his past was freezing his feet to the floor in Tartarus.

He stared at the door for a moment, before his Omni-Tool blinking caught his attention.

_She’s here_. Keema’s message came through, _I watched her saunter into Kralla’s Song._

_Thanks,_ he replied quickly, _I’m on my way._

There was no response from Keema on their encrypted channel, and he hadn’t been expecting one.

So, he took a deep breath and headed out of the private room and out towards the Port.

It took longer than it usually did to get from the lift to the bar, with practically everyone he knew stopping him and asking what he knew about the Pathfinder.

“I know as much as you do,” He would reply, “Which, apparently does not seem to be much.” Tie it off with a wink, because he knew no one would believe him when he said that. He had made a business of knowing what was going on in Kadara. He was Reyes Vidal, freelance smuggler known for his discreetness and ability to always get the job done. He was nothing more than that, other than a bit of a cad.

Easier to remind himself of that, as he walked into the bar, hearing Umi yelling at another patron at the bar; yet another Outcast thinking they could get away from not paying her.

He recognized a few of his own people in the bar, but they didn’t pay him any mind; especially when they had no idea who he really was to them.

But it was the woman standing at the bar, in the dark pants, leather jacket, and tall boots that gave him pause and caused his heart to lurch uncomfortably forward. She still wore her hair up in a tight ponytail, though her blonde hair had streaks of color in it now; almost matching to the Kadara sunset behind her.

Then he saw it: his bracelet, wrapped around the base of her ponytail, as he had last seen it.

So, she had held onto that. _Interesting_.

He took a deep breath and walked towards her, his arms out, “You look like you’re waiting for someone.”

She turned around, looking as if she was about to be annoyed that she had been waiting for any amount of time, but her expression quickly changed when she laid her eyes on him.

“Reyes?!” Evie grinned, and very quickly wrapped her arms around his neck in a hug, and it was all too easy for him to wrap his arms around her to return the hug.

He hadn’t realized how starved for meaningful touch he was until now, and that was a new feeling he’d have to deal with privately.

“I imagine you were expecting someone else,” He said with a smirk, as the hug parted, and he gestured to Umi, who rolled her eyes and set two drinks down before looking he other way. He handed one of the glasses to Evie, who took it and clinked her glass with is.

“Don’t mind if I do,” She laughed, as she took a drink, “But what are you doing here?”

He made an approving sound as he took a drink, and set the glass back on the bar top, leaning against it. “I’m _Shena_. Though, I hate codenames,” he smirked, though she wouldn’t get the joke with himself. “Let’s not use it.”

“ _You’re_ Shena? I was expecting an Angaran.”

He shrugged, “The Resistance pays me to supply information – among other things.”

Evie’s eyebrow raised, “So you’re a smuggler now?”

Reyes gestured to the balcony area, overlooking the Kadara sunset, Evie followed to walk with him. “The man you are looking for – Vehn Terev – was arrested by Sloane Kelly, leader of the Outcasts. Word spread about what he did to Moshae Sjefa.” He shook his head, hand on the bannister as he faced her, “The people are calling for his execution. And Sloane, she’s a woman of the people.”

This was not what he ultimately wanted to be talking about. He wanted to ask her a million questions. He wanted to know what she had been up to. He wanted to know if she was okay. He wanted to know how her brother was. But instead, he leaned against the balcony railing, and found Evie doing the same, nudging her shoulder against his with a smile. “Well, I like her already!”

He nudged her back with a laugh, “She doesn’t like you.”

“She hasn’t _met_ me. You know everyone _loves_ me, Vidal,” she teased.

“Ryder, _not everyone_ ,” He said with a pointed look, “Besides, you’re with the Initiative. You’re Nexus. She’s an Exile, we all are. I doubt that Sloane will give up Vehn so easily.”

Evie scoffed and rolled her eyes, “I’m taking him, with or without her permission. Do you think she can stop me?”

He let out a bit of a laugh that sounded more like a guffaw and sighed, a smile on his lips. Fuck, he had _missed_ this and didn’t realize how much until now. “No, I don’t think she can. I think she’ll _try_ though. Still stubborn as you’ve always been, I see.”

“Me?!” Evie replied with mock shock, her hand to her chest, “I am not half as stubborn as you!”

“We could spend all day debating this,” He said, nudging her once more, “But you have bigger things to do. There might be another way to get to Vehn. You work Sloane. I’ll talk to the Resistance.” He pushed off the railing and started to walk out of the bar, though he stopped to look back.

“Reyes! How am I supposed to contact you if things go south?”

He did nothing but wink at her in response as he walked away, and he could hear her laughing as he reached the door.

The port was still bustling and busy, but he didn’t need to call the Resistance to find out what they wanted – he already knew.

Instead, he made a stop at a vendor, “There is a package here for me.”

The Angaran man nodded, handing over what Evfra had sent, and gestured to behind his stall.

Reyes nodded, “Appreciate it,” before he walked down the alley and saw the grate entrance on the floor, a path directly into the cells. And when Sloane understandably got annoyed with Evie’s sarcasm and kicked her out, Reyes would lead her there.

He walked back to the main square, outside of the Outcast base, and leaned against a wall, scrolling through his messages on his Omni-Tool as he waited for Evie to come out.

And as expected, she did not disappoint, the scowl on her face saying everything that he already knew: Sloane really _hated_ her. Sloane hated _everyone_.

“There you are,” Evie’s voice caused him to look up from his Omni-Tool, and she put her hand on her hip, “You knew that was going to happen.”

“What was going to happen?” He asked, but unable to hide the amusement in his voice.

“That she’d kick me out the moment I started talking.”

“Did you sass her?”

“Hey! I just…”

“You sassed her,” He laughed, “I told you. _Hates you_.”

“Ugh,” Evie sighed in frustration, rubbing her hands over her eyes before she dropped it. “What now?”

Once more, he gestured for her to follow him, and he led her down the alley, “Use that terminal, it unlocks the grate. Follow it to the cells. And this,” He handed the package to Evie, “Is from the Resistance. It will eat through the metal bars and can’t be traced back to us. A member of the Resistance will be waiting to take him back to Aya.”

Once Evie took the package from his hand, he started to walk past her, but felt her hand on his arm pulling him back. “Reyes, _wait_.”

He turned back to her, with a raised eyebrow, “Yes?”

“We haven’t seen each other in years, I didn’t even…know you were going to Andromeda. Can we…” There was a hint of hesitation in her voice. “Can we talk?”

“Take care of what you need to first, Evie,” He said with a smile, “But you can find me in Tartarus, it’s a bar in the Kadara Slums. Alright?”

She nodded and let go of his arm and turned to go down the alley before either of them could say anything else.

He returned to the Vendor to let him know to pick Vehn up when he left the alley, and Reyes went on his way.

The lift down to the slums, another message hit his Omni-Tool.

_I see the Pathfinder knows you,_ Keema had sent, _I knew there was something you weren’t telling me._

_I’ll explain later,_ he replied.

The lift hit the Slums when her reply came back: _I cannot wait to hear it._

_That makes one of us._


	4. Chapter 4

It wasn’t until they were in the privacy of Keema’s home in the Port – once it was scanned for bugs and another scanner was set up for protection – that Reyes started talking.

Well, correction. He usually had _something_ to talk about, but hardly ever about himself. Even with Keema, one of the few who _actually_ knew he was the Charlatan, there was still little discussion on who he was.

“Talk,” Keema said, gesturing for him to sit down, as she handed him a drink.

Instead, he paced around Keema’s living room, and she sighed in frustration. “Is this another Human culture thing? Walking around avoiding the topic?”

“Yes,” Reyes replied with a small smirk, as he finally took a drink and took the long way to the couch, finally sitting down. “Right. Ask me what you want to know.”

“I have to ask you? You cannot just tell me?”

“I have to have _some_ mystery,” He replied.

She rolled her eyes, and at least that was a gesture both species could understand. “How do you know Pathfinder Ryder? I was told she was not the original.”

He took a drink and nodded. “Alec Ryder was the original Pathfinder, he is, or was, her father. She has a twin brother Scott as well, though I don’t know where he is. We haven’t spoken about him. We haven’t _spoken_ , really.”

“Her name is Evelyn, correct?”

He blinked for a moment. “Yes. Though, I have never called her that.”

“I have heard her on station as either Evelyn or Ryder, do you call her Ryder?”

“No. I call her Evie.” Interesting that she was not going by that name anymore. It only caused him to walk to speak to her more. To find out what had changed, since she woke up in Heleus.

“And what is _Evie_ to you?”

“A friend.” He took a drink.

“And nothing more?”

Reyes practically choked on the drink, doing his best to recover but Keema’s laughter told him he failed at that miserably. He sighed heavily and set the drink down, glaring at Keema.

“So, she _does_ mean more to you!” Keema clapped her hands together, seeming _elated_ at the idea. “I have not seen you act this way since…”

“Since Zia?” He asked, though the distain in his voice was hard to mask.

Keema shook her head, “No. I was going to say that I have _never_ seem you like this. I don’t think Zia ever meant anything to you. I have a feeling the Pathfinder had something to do with that.”

He pushed himself up from her couch and started to pace around again, much to Keema’s annoyance but he didn’t exactly care. “I didn’t even know she was coming to Andromeda. We hadn’t spoken for ten years before the Arks left, and I didn’t have any reason to believe that Alec Ryder was bringing his kids with him on the trip.”

“Why would he not? Is family not important to Humans?”

“No, it’s…complicated. Family is complicated.”

“Hmm,” She hummed, “That I understand.”

There was a silence that fell between the two of them, as Reyes finished his drink and immediately went to her bar to make himself a new one. She cleared her throat and held up her empty glass, and he walked over to get it to get her another drink as well. It was still strange to him that he felt comfortable and at home in Keema’s place, considering just how different everything was here – but it felt good to have _someone_ to speak to.

He returned with the drinks, handing Keema hers as he sat back down next to her.

“How long have you known her?”

“Not counting the 600-year trip it took for us to get here, I would say…30 years? Though ten of those were spent not in contact. We met when I was 5.”

“Friends as children! How cute!” Keema grinned, and Reyes rolled his eyes in attempt to distract from the heat coming to his cheeks.

He needed to keep that in check. As long as Evie would be on Kadara, he would have to keep a lot of that in check. But he had dealt with complications before. Evie and the Tempest’s arrival on Kadara had put Sloane on alert, and that meant she was getting more dangerous.

If there was going to be peace on Kadara, she had to be removed. Preferably _before_ she took rash action.

But then there was the matter of telling Evie what was going on. She was smart, she’d figure out everything that was going on in Kadara soon enough, but did he want to nudge her in the right direction? Would she figure out that the Collective was the direction to go towards?

Should he tell her who he was, in relation to everything?

“Reyes? Have you been listening to me?” Once more, he was caught not listening to Keema, and this time he didn’t try to hide it. He shrugged and took a drink from his glass.

“Not in the slightest. I had my mind on other things.”

Keema made a sound that was similar to a _tsk_ that he used to get from his mother as a kid. “Well finish your drink and get your mind out of my apartment – I’ve things to do. I suspect you do as well.”

Reyes chuckled, before downing the rest of the drink, and setting the glass down. “Thanks, Keema. As always, you’re a peach.”

He headed for the door just as Keema frustrated, yelled at him, “I still don’t know what a peach is! Or why I am one!”

“Story for another time!” He replied, waving behind him as he left her apartment and stepped back into the port.

There’s some debating on his part on if he wants to head home, or just return to his room at Tartarus. If Evie had been looking for him, that was where he had said he’d be. Home, well she didn’t know where that was.

So, to Tartarus it was.

It was late in the day, and the club was just starting to get busy – which meant he was about to see more than his fair share of clients. A blessing, or a curse, given his distracted mind, he wasn’t sure.

One hour turned into two, turned into three. Clients came in and out of the room, some discreet about what they wanted, others not. Someone mentioning another murder in the port, and the frustration on not knowing who was responsible.

It was another troubling development that he had discussed with Evfra on more than one occasion – the Roekaar were building up more of a following on the planet, and given that everyone who didn’t belong seemed to come here, that momentum was building quickly.

He was about to head out, investigate it himself, when the doors opened again.

He half expected another client, or a waitress with his next drink.

Instead, in walked Evie, and two companions. A turian, Vetra Nix, and a human, Liam Kosta. Both Reyes knew by reputation – in Vetra’s instance, it was a good reputation to have, especially here. For Liam…well it wasn’t so great. But he wasn’t one to judge the company that Evie kept.

“Evelyn, is this who you were talking about?” Liam spoke, his arms crossed over his chest, staring at Reyes as if he were a caged animal. There was a look of annoyance on Liam’s face, one that Reyes met with a look of amusement on his part.

Vetra had caught it and laughed.

Yeah, he liked that one.

Evie stepped forward and nodded, “Yep. Our contact on Kadara. Liam, Vetra, this is Reyes Vidal.”

Being introduced as the _contact_ didn’t surprise him, but it hit a place in his chest he couldn’t describe. But he played the part, bowing with broad gestures, “It’s an honor to meet you.”

“Okay, sure…” Liam started, and Reyes laughed.

“No, my friend, I’m afraid I was talking to Vetra,” he said, and winked at her. “I’ve heard much about you, I’ve got a large amount of respect for what you can do.”

Vetra laughed again, and nudged Evie’s arm with her hand, more of a playful slap than anything. “Ryder, I like him, can we keep him?”

To her right, Liam groaned.

Reyes couldn’t help the smart-ass grin he had, as he brought his attention to Evie, “How can I help you, Ryder?”

Calling her that had apparently caught her slightly off guard, as her eyes widened slightly, before she recovered. “There’s a freshly murdered body right outside Kralla’s. Some of the locals are saying that it’s the Charlatan’s handiwork. Thoughts?”

Reyes shook his head, “I don’t buy it. The Charlatan, from what I’ve heard, is discreet. Careful. Whoever did this, they want the bodies found. And it’s just another one to add to the growing list.”

“There’s a serial murderer running around making a statement?”

“Perhaps. But who do you think the statement is _for?_ ”

Evie shifted her weight, her hands still firmly on her hips, “Most likely Sloane. She’s the ruler here, for lack of better term, and it’s obvious she’s not very liked outside of the Outcasts.”

“Less than a third of the victims are Outcasts,” he replied, the wheels turning. How this had managed to fall into his lap, and like this, he wouldn’t know. But he wasn’t going to take it for granted. “If I was a betting man – and, believe me, _I am_ ,” he was interrupted by Liam’s annoyed groan, but Reyes took it with stride and a smirk on his lips, eyes darting from the man back to Evie, “I’d say it was the Roekaar.”

“Why would the Roekaar even be here?”

“Kadara Port is Angaran-built. Before Sloane, it was also Angaran-run. They may have tried to get recruits, or get the Port back, and things didn’t go as planned.”

“Vidal, how do you explain the dead Angaran then?” Her eyebrow was raised, and she took a step forward, as if she was challenging him. Calling him by his last name, invoking older memories he wasn’t ready to bring up yet.

His arms crossed over his chest, as he shifted his weight to his back foot. “I did some digging already on this. All the deceased Angara were public Milky Way sympathizers. “

“So the victims were either from the Milky Way…”

“Or supported us. It’s the only pattern I was able to find on my own.” Reyes shrugged, “Problem is, I’ve got no proof, and the Resistance doesn’t want to antagonize the Roekaar further.”

Evie huffed, “Yeah, I was on Havarl. They’re a piece of work. Kind of remind me of Cerberus, just difference species.”

This got Vetra to chuckle, “I bet their leader isn’t as charismatic though.”

The smirk on Evie’s lips as she looked at Vetra, just made Reyes smile watching it. “I should talk to Cora about that.”

“Why?”

“That’s a story for another time.” She brought her attention back to him, “Alright, so you weren’t able to get more information on your own. I guess that’s where you need my help.”

Reyes nodded, “As observant, as always,” He said with a wink, and he watched as she allowed herself to react to it only slightly. It made him want to push her buttons more, but he had a feeling it wasn’t good in the company they were in. “I need that fancy AI of yours to scan for evidence that could implicate the Roekaar. People are scared, Ryder. This is your opportunity to win friends in Kadara Port.”

“And if I don’t want _just_ friends?”

He smirked, “Then that’s just too bad.” He brought up his Omni-Tool, and sent her a nav point, as well as his contact information. “I’ve sent you the nav point of the latest crime scene that I was going to look at. Let me know what you find when you get there.”

“You’re a detective now too?”

“Careful, Ryder,” He turned towards the couch, sitting back down, “You might give your friends here the wrong idea.”

She didn’t reply to it, but she rolled her eyes at him and with Liam and Vetra following, she left the room.

It wasn’t the conversation he had been expecting to have with her, but it had been a start.


	5. Chapter 5

“I wasn’t sitting on my ass the whole time, Ryder,” Reyes spoke into his comm, ducking behind a rock, “I’m staring at the place right now.”

He was right of course. He knew it had been the Roekaar; nothing was happening on Kadara without him knowing about it, and it was just another reason why things had to change. Sloane was welcoming trouble, all because of how greedy and selfish she was.

Granted, _he_ was greedy and selfish too, but it at least was for a good cause. He was also better looking, if he had to say so for himself.

Enabling his tactical cloak, he placed his explosives around the base of the hideout, and as one of the Roekaar came out to look around, slipped one into his back pouch. It was then just following the Roekaar into the hideout and keeping hidden until Evie got there.

It was a tactic he had used a lot back in the Milky Way. Cloaking was the easiest way to get in and out of places unseen, as well as get done what needed to be done unseen. Living in the shadows just made him bolder, and this was no different.

The doors slid open, and Evie walked in, Liam and Vetra following close behind.

“Reyes should be here…” Evie said, and from where he was, he could have sworn he heard a hint of _disappointment_ in her voice.

“You seem disappointed, Evelyn,” Liam noted. He wondered the look that Evie gave Liam when he said her full name.

“No, I just—”

Interrupted, just as Reyes had expected they would be, and now it was show time.

The leader of these Roekaar was holding her blade high, and he pulled out his pistol, shooting it out of her hand and running down the stairs. He liked making an entrance, and as he hit the bottom stair and stood next to Evie, she tried to hide her amusement.

“You’re _late_.”

“I had good reason,” He grinned, “You’ll see in three, two…” and he hit the trigger in his pocket.

The explosion rocked the cave and killed the three Roekaar around the one he had pickpocketed – now to just take out the rest.

“Still mad?” He asked, as Evie reached for her gun.

“We’ll talk about this later!” There was a laugh after it, almost one of pure joy, that Reyes couldn’t help but laugh as well.

Well timed shots took out the Roekaar near him, but it was watching Evie in action that was just something he wished he could always see. In their Alliance days together, she always seemed more reserved. Stuck to the rules of the Alliance, to how her father wanted her to do things, even to how she felt the need to live up to Scott.

But here, she was power and fury, zipping around the room and taking out enemies left and right, that no one else really had much of a job to do.

He set his gun to his side, and heard Vetra laugh next to him, “You get used to that,” she said, “Has all the fun, and never leaves any for the rest of us.”

“It’s stunning,” He said, unable to hide the adoration in his voice when he said it, and Vetra looked at him curiously.

“How is it that you know Ryder again?”

“Vetra,” Evie interrupted, all enemies dead. “Let’s get out of here, I don’t want this cave to come down us.” She pushed her hands on Vetra’s back to direct her up the stairs, and she looked back at Reyes with a smile.

He found himself caught up in a state of disbelief that he, again, was at a loss of words.

It didn’t last long, as they made it up to the upper landing, “Kadara is safe again, thanks to you. Don’t worry, I’ll let all the important people know it was you.”

Liam and Vetra were opening the door to the base to head back outside, and Evie and Reyes were left alone in the room, slowly heading to the door together.

“Oh, you’re going to let me have all the credit? That’s not like you at _all._ ”

“Not back in the Milky Way, no. Here, things are different.”

“Is that so?”

“It is,” He said, with a wink, “Don’t be a stranger, _Evie_.”

***

It was common now, it seemed, for the Pathfinder to off and on the planet. It made sense, of course, given all the things that she had to do. Not that he knew any of them, he did his best to keep his mind out of Nexus business and more focused on Kadara business.

And thanks to her, business had been _booming_.

But every time she had come back to Kadara and caught up with him, it had only just been business talk. No talk of their past, of catching up, of her brother, it was just everything to keep things moving for the Initiative.

He hid his disappointment the best that anyone could in his position. Most of the days and nights were spent doing his usual things – gathering information, lining up jobs, getting reports from his operatives. The more things tried to change, the more they just seemed to stay the exact same as they always had.

But when he was alone in his home in the hills, when he was in the relative safety of his own home, he let his mind wander. Back to the Milky Way, back before the Initiative, back before the Shadow Broker. When it was just the two of them, hanging out. Drinking, watching vids, the close calls of how many times he could have kissed her but just didn’t.

She was different. She was and had always been different and losing her would have destroyed her. So he never made a move. Going to Andromeda, he didn’t think he’d see her again. Ten years had been a long time to lose touch with someone. 600 more years would be even longer. He would focus on a new life, and a new vision for his future.

And yet, here she was. In Andromeda. In Kadara. As the Pathfinder, which fucking complicated things. He wasn’t a good man; he certainly wasn’t the man that she might have remembered.

But maybe she wasn’t truly the woman he remembered either.

There was a flash to his Omni-Tool; a message from another smuggler he worked with. Not a member of the Collective, but the Outcasts – and someone Reyes was secretly considering turning to his own advancement.

_Reyes,_

_Overheard Zia talking in Kralla’s. Spoke loudly about fucking up one of your jobs – check your cargo shipments. I think she’s trying to fuck with you._

_Seriously, that woman is a pain in the ass, what exactly did you see in her?_

_Jake_

_Jake,_

_I didn’t see anything in her._

_Thanks for the heads up._

_Reyes_

Of course. Zia would decide _now_ to fuck with him; if she knew that he was also the one she was technically working for, she’d be livid.

But he couldn’t exactly get Collective members to help him with this, because it would raise suspicions.

Which brought him to another idea.

_RV: Ryder. You still alive?_

_ER: Vidal. For now, still alive and kicking. What do you need?_

_RV: Are we going to continue being so formal?_

_ER: That depends._

_RV: On?_

_ER: You._

_RV: What is your location?_

_ER: Tempest. We just took off from the Nexus, heading your way. But we won’t be on Kadara until tomorrow._

_RV: Then let’s talk when you get here._

_ER: About?_

_RV: If I tell you now, it will spoil the fun._

_ER: Still ridiculous, I see._

_RV: You adore it._

_ER: Maybe. See you tomorrow._

The message chat disconnected, and Reyes settled into his couch, resting one arm behind his head. The prospect of seeing Evie gets him excited to see the next day in a way he hadn’t had for a while. It’s what keeps him motivated through the rest of the night, going through reports of status through Kadara.

He’d find out what Zia was up to, and he’d make the next move on the Outcasts.

If he could reconnect with Evie during all of that…well.

It would certainly be something.


	6. Chapter 6

When she finally showed up in Tartarus the next day, he had expected a few of her crew to come with her.

Instead, it was only Evie who walked in, letting the door shut behind her. “SAM, can you alert me if anything urgent comes up? If not, I don’t want to be disturbed.” She was speaking to her AI no doubt, and the AI replied where Reyes could hear with an affirmative.

Strange to know she had an AI with her now, but at least she had the courtesy to turn it off when she was around him.

“Hey,” She finally said, smiling up at him, her hands reaching for her ponytail to tighten it a bit at the scalp. His bracelet was still present.

“Hey,” He replied with a smile, and gestured for her to sit with him. “There was something I wanted to talk to you about.”

“Yeah?” Evie asked, settling down next to him, crossing her legs at the ankles, armor restricting the rest of her movement. “I wanted to talk to you too.”

“About?”

“You first,” She said with a smile, “After all, whatever you want me for, it sounds important.”

“Oh, I always want you, Evie,” He smoothly replied, though he found the heat rising in his cheeks matched the new coloring of her own.

“Do you now? That is certainly interesting…” She smirked.

Damn, he just wanted to stay here. To talk to her about everything, but instead, he had an issue that needed to be resolved. “A business rival of mine named Zia Cordier lifted cargo I was moving for a client.”

Evie shifted, “So you wanted me for a job? Hmm.”

“Is that disappointment I hear?”

“Absolutely not, you must be imagining things, Vidal.”

“Liar.”

“So, what did this Zia steal from you?” She changed the subject, her eyes darting away from his.

He sighed. “No idea. My client pays extra for privacy. And considering my fees, it must be very valuable. “

“You didn’t even look inside? I’m surprised.”

“Honor has a price, Evie. The client paid that price.”

He watched as her hand raised up and grabbed the ends of her ponytail, her fingers twirling the blond with the stripes of orange, purple, and red. “I didn’t know you could be bought.” She paused, before asking, “So how did she get your cargo?”

His eyes focusing on her fingers touching her hair, he almost didn’t catch the slight distain in her voice. Almost. Choosing to ignore it, he sighed again. “The usual ways she does things. She got my middleman drunk and stole his ship.” He was working on assumptions, not actually confirmed it was how she did it for this job, but it was how she handled every single job she had ever run with him. It was how she had also handled jobs given to her by the Charlatan, though she had been spoken to about it then.

It made sense she’d go back to her usual tactics when trying to go against him.

Frustrating, but made sense.

Next to him, Evie shifted on the couch like she was unable to get comfortable in the armor she was wearing. It seemed to heavy for her, too clunky, but he supposed someone like the Pathfinder would need extra protection. This close to the slums, he understood.

“Alright,” She said, with a smile. “I’ll help you. On one condition.”

He raised an eyebrow, “Name it.”

Her smile turned into a more devious smirk, a hint of the rebellious woman he had known years ago, “We split the profits 50/50.”

His laugh was a full and honest one, his hand moving to his chest as he did so. “60/40. Final offer.”

“We’ll see about that,” Evie teased, “You were always horrible at negotiation.”

“As I said, things change.”

Her eyebrow raised and she snorted. “Sure. So, what’s the next move?”

Reyes stood up, brushing his arms off. “When Zia stops in Kadara, she goes to Kralla’s Song. You and I will go there, chat Umi up and see if she knows anything.”

“Sounds good. I’ve got to take care of some things, but I’ll meet you there?”

“Of course.”

Evie stood up as well and headed for the door but stopped short of walking through it. She turned around to face him again, “After I help you, then we get to talk about my thing.”

“Which is?”

“If I told you now, it wouldn’t be a surprise, would it?” She winked and headed out.

He stared at the door as it closed again, blinking a few times in disbelief before he walked over to his Terminal – he’d give Evie an hour before he headed up to see Umi, and he had some additional research to do. Rome didn’t build itself in a day.

Or more importantly, it didn’t build itself in a month, which seemed far more accurate. After making plans to catch up with Keema later in the evening and finishing any correspondence he needed to do – that he _could do_ on a public terminal, he headed up to Kralla’s Song.

Only to find that Evie wasn’t there.

“The usual?” Umi asked, as he got up to the bar, and he nodded. “What are you doing here anyway?”

“Meeting someone.”

“Are you now.” Umi rolled her eyes and put his drink down in front of him.

Footsteps approached behind him, “You look like you’re waiting for someone,” and when Reyes turned to look at Evie, she was grinning.

“That’s my line!” He laughed, adding, “You’re late.”

She met him at the bar and nudged his arm, “And that’s _my_ line.”

The groan of disgust from Umi broke Reyes out of what he was _going_ to say, “Do you want a drink, or do you want a room? Because I’m not helping either of you with either of those.”

“You already got me a drink, Umi,” Reyes raised the glass, and Umi rolled her eyes. “Besides, we need information.”

“Then you gotta pay.”

“My _friend_ is good for it,” Reyes looked to Evie, who sighed.

“I expect a favor in return, then, Reyes.” The look in her eye, the small smirk that curled up on her lip, part of him wanted to just throw this entire thing out the window. Forget going after the cargo, and Zia be dammed.

But instead, “Of course. _Anything_ for you.”

“Fuck, listen you two, ask what you want and get your gross shit away from my fucking bar,” Umi’s arms crossed over her chest, her glare going from Reyes to Evie, to Reyes again.

“Alright, don’t get all upset with me,” He said, and leaned forward, “Zia Cordier. You see her recently?”

Umi’s face lit up like a Christmas tree, and looked to Evie while she answered Reyes, “Oh, you mean your _ex_?”

Evie immediately turned from Umi to look at Reyes, and when he looked at her, he knew this was just the reaction Umi wanted. _Dammit_. “Excuse me? Your _ex_? As in _girlfriend?_ ”

“Uh. I mean, the word _girlfriend_ is such a strong word, I…erm,” He looked away from Evie again and looked back to Umi, clearing his throat. “Was she here? Or no?”

Laughter came from the bartender, clearly getting her entertainment for the evening, “Yeah, she was here. Was meeting with a Salarian. Shifty guy I’ve never seen before. Maybe it was the _Charlatan_.”

Evie scoffed, “Oh please. Everyone keeps throwing around that damn name everywhere, I’m thinking it doesn’t even fucking exist. Did you overhear the conversation, or do you just like messing with Reyes? Which, don’t get me wrong, it’s a fun pastime.”

Reyes’ eyes went wide, as he looked at Evie with complete confusion, and Umi laughed.

“I like this one. Too bad you’re with the Initiative. You’d cause lots of trouble around here.”

“Maybe I still will, but only if you give us more information,” Evie replied, and winked.

Umi, despite the obvious desire to groan at the gesture, just sighed. “Yeah, overheard the conversation. Said they were planning on meeting someone at Spirit’s Ledge. But that’s all I got. We done?”

“Yeah, thanks Umi,” Reyes nodded. Umi just shrugged and headed away, and next to him, Evie was laughing.

“If I wasn’t so damn amused at Umi, I’d be seriously pissed off at you.”

“Why?”

“Your ex? I’m chasing after your ex.”

“Why do you care who she is?” Reyes challenged, “Are you jealous?”

“I…” Evie started, and her features softened, her cheeks burning a brighter red. “Fucking shut up, Vidal.”

_Busted_. And also, _interesting_. “If you check the meeting spot, I’ll follow the Collective lead.”

“What, the little ‘he might be the Charlatan’ comment? You can’t seriously trust that one.”

He shrugged, “Around here, _anything_ is possible.”


	7. Chapter 7

Evie had given him the nav point on where the spot was, and he arrived via shuttle to meet up with her. He had arrived before her though, and headed on inside without her, running to see if his cargo was secure.

But there was nothing here.

It was empty.

And it was a trap.

Evie’s footsteps brought him to the present, and he looked at her with confusion. “It’s…there’s nothing here.”

She sighed in response, “I think this is a trap.”

And there Zia was, sauntering out of the shadows and into the light, “Bravo. I knew you’d figure it out eventually. You could _never_ resist a good payout.”

He shrugged his shoulders, “What can I say? I’m a greedy man.”

Zia rolled her eyes, “That’s why you don’t have any friends, you’re selfish.”

A retort was quick on his tongue, but Evie was faster, stepping forward to Zia. “Oh _please_ honey. He’s a better man than you know, and that you could possibly deserve.”

“And just how would _you_ know that?”

“Let’s just say I’ve known him a lot longer.”

“Doesn’t matter, you’ll see how wrong you are soon enough,” Zia laughed, taking another step towards them.

Reyes moved his hand to his hip, hand resting over his pistol, “Leave her _out_ of this, Zia. This is between you and me.”

“You must really like this one, Reyes. But you brought her here, so…”

“Cut the shit, Zia,” He cursed, “What the fuck is this all about?” Showing emotion towards her for the first time, Zia looked frustrated and Evie, out of the corner of his eye, looked amused.

Zia shook her head, “You’ve been taking all the good jobs in Kadara, it’s gotten more than _my_ attention.”

“So, what, the local smuggling union got together and decided to take me down?”

The sound of a few guns being loaded echoed through the room, as Zia raised her own gun, “Exactly.”

“ _Fuck_ ,” he groaned, as Evie threw a biotic push to push Zia away from them and give them space to get to cover.

Evie took the front, despite the Black Widow on her back, getting up close with the other smugglers, while Reyes took to the stairs, training his sniper on Zia.

The fight didn’t last long. He hadn’t expected it to, not that he had expected to walk headfirst into a fight. But when it was all done, and it was only Evie and him left standing, he headed back down the stairs to meet her.

“So, you’re not that popular around here, are you Reyes?” Evie teased, her biotics cooled down, her guns packed away. He couldn’t remember her using a single one, if he thought back to it, but it wasn’t the time to question it. He rubbed his forehead for a moment and sighed.

“I suppose not.”

“They could try again, you know.”

“Are you worried about me?” He asked, the teasing tone easily coming out, taking a step towards her, and Evie did as well to match him.

“Of course I am, you idiot. “

“Don’t worry about me. I know they’re coming now. I won’t be caught like this again.”

“Okay, then what now?”

“Now…” He looked around the room, his eyes falling on Zia’s body. “I need to take care of this. She was…a lot of things, but I don’t feel right leaving her out like this.”

Evie nodded, and started towards one of the other bodies. He held up his hand, “Wait, what are you doing?”

“Helping you.”

“Why?”

Evie sighed and shook her head, “Are you seriously asking me why I’d help you, after all this time? Why would I just show up here if I didn’t want to…”

“Want to what?”

Evie cleared her throat and scrunched up her nose. “Do you want my help or not?”

He moved his hand to the back of his neck, and sighed, “No, but thank you for offering. You’ve got better things to do than help by my cleaner. But,” he dropped his hand as he took a step closer to her, and put his hand on her shoulder. “What you said, about me being a better man. I don’t deserve that but thank you.”

“You do deserve that, Reyes.” She replied softly, putting her armored hand over his own. “I’ve always thought that.”

He found himself scanning her eyes, trying to pinpoint a lie, or something that would give this all away, but it just wasn’t there. He watched her carefully, and when her eyes dropped to his lips before quickly going back up again, he gave her a small smile. “Thanks, Evie.”

“Yeah,” She said, her voice quiet, as she moved her hand away and cleared her throat. “Don’t mention it. I have to go check out some leads on a few things and go off planet for a bit but I’ll be back. I promise.”

“Of course,” he nodded, taking a step back and watched her walk out of door.

He hit the release to lock the door and shut it, and once it was securely closed, he closed his eyes and leaned his head against it. He had been distracted. He should have seen something like this coming from Zia, but he was too blindsided by Evie.

He allowed himself a moment more of contemplation before he got to work taking care of the mess they had made.

***

Hours later, he was at Keema’s once more, pacing around.

And as always, Keema was frustrated he wasn’t just saying what he was thinking.

“Reyes! I will taser you if you do not stop running around my home!”

That got his attention, “You have a taser?”

“Sure. I have yours.”

“Is that where that went?”

Keema just laughed and shook her head. “Are you going to tell me what is on your mind?”

“Do I have to?”

“Yes, unless you want me to turn you into Sloane…”

Reyes laughed, “Low blow.”

Keema gestured to the couch, the familiar place they always sat, and he finally opened up about everything. How he had history with Evie, and his feelings for her. How he had wanted to follow her the day she left but he could not; the Alliance had never been for him, and he needed something new.

He needed to be someone. Someone that she might be proud of knowing.

It funny looking back on it, that it was a driving force for him getting on Garson’s radar. Running shady jobs, getting chased down by a Spectre, it wasn’t how he wanted to be remembered. But he had a certain skill set just not set up for the right side of the law.

Garson had understood that.

He had taken the ‘job’ she had given him, as a way to start new. Knowing that he was leaving his whole life behind, and even though it killed him to say goodbye to a chance of reconnecting with Evie, it was a step forward he needed.

A new life, a new horizon.

Settling on Kadara wasn’t easy, but he had managed. He finally set out to have a life where he _was_ someone. Even if the person he wanted to be ‘someone’ for wouldn’t see it.

But then she suddenly was here. And he suddenly was faced with a plethora of ‘what ifs’ and other variables he couldn’t consider before.

It distracted him from the Collective, to a point. Not enough for serious damage. It had, though, completely distracted him from Zia or any other romantic interest he may have had in anyone else.

Now, all he could think about was hoping he wouldn’t disappoint Evie. That if she ever found out who he was really here, that she’d still look at him the same way.

He had missed how she looked at him.

He had missed how comfortable he was around her.

He had missed her.

When he was done speaking, the silence between the two friends was comfortable, until Keema spoke.

“Just how long have you been in love with her? Are you ever going to say anything to her?”

“Uh….”

And Keema laughed.


	8. Chapter 8

Reyes,

I won’t be back to Kadara for a few weeks. There’s a lot going on, and I’m not sure I can break away just yet.

I wanted to…check in, I guess?

Is that weird?

E.

***

Evie,

You’re checking up on me now? Still worrying, I see.

R.

***

Dumbass,

I’m not worrying! I’m…trying to play nice? I don’t think that’s the word I’m looking for, but I’m trying.

Also, okay maybe I’m worrying a little bit. You sure you’re okay? Are any of your other millions of exes going to try to murder you while I’m away?

Signed,

Your One and Only Friend

***

Annoying Pathfinder,

I find that I am far more productive with you not here. So, do me a favor, stay away as long as possible! If you knew the amount of credits I was bringing in, you’d keel over.

Also, by ‘as long as possible’, I mean…not too long.

Sincerely,

The Super Smuggler

***

Ugh,

Don’t call yourself “The Super Smuggler”. It’s weird. Also, because I was drinking with Drack, and I got VERY drunk. I was reading your email and read “Smuggler” as “Snuggler”, and that was a path of thought I wasn’t expecting to go down.

Do you remember when I used to crash in your dorm to hide from my horrible roommate, and you’d sleep on the floor?

Did you ever get cold sleeping down there?

From,

Very Hungover

***

Dearest Lightweight,

Still not able to hold your liquor? Not much has changed in all these years, I see.

And for the record, I didn’t. Only because I never actually slept when you stayed over.

Signed,

Two Drinks In

***

Reyes,

What do you mean you never slept?

E.

***

He finished the second drink, starting on the third, staring at the latest message that had come in. The reply had been almost instant, and he wondered if she was actually around now – not out on some mission to save the Nexus from itself or fighting off whatever the Kett needed these days.

In the privacy of his own home, his fingers tapping on the glass, he took a long drink of it before he decided to risk something.

He called her.

Via the Omni-Tool, it was audio only, and he wasn’t expecting her to pick up. In fact, it had rung so many times that he almost hung up himself, when the ringing stopped.

“I could have been sleeping, you know,” Came Evie’s voice through the line, and Reyes couldn’t help his smile.

“You responded to me very quickly, Ryder, I don’t imagine you were sleeping at all.”

“Oh I know, I’m just tell you, I _could_ have been.”

He shifted on the couch, stretching out his legs, resting the drink on his chest, and his other arm behind his head. “Are you still hungover?”

The sound from Evie was a groan, and Reyes laughed.

“Remind me to never drink Ryncol again.”

“I thought I reminded you of that years ago.”

“Ugh,” She groaned again, “It’s been 600 years give or take, cut me some slack.”

He laughed again, “Where’s the fun in that?”

“I hate you.”

“So…”

“Yes, I am still fucking hungover. So, I just started drinking again to match it.”

“Smart.”

“Not really. So…are you going to answer my question?”

“What question?”

He heard shifting of objects on her side, and what sounded like metal touching down on glass. “Why you never slept when I crashed at your dorm.”

He took a drink, carefully setting it back to rest on his chest. His fingers tapped against the metal and was thankful she couldn’t see his face. “In case anything happened to you, I wanted to protect you.”

There was silence on her side, and he tightly closed his eyes, mentally cursing himself, “I mean it wasn’t…”

“Well that’s cute,” she finally replied, and laughed. “Scott used to tell me you were worried I’d stop needing your protection.”

“What?”

“Yeah, and the I had to tell him that usually I was the one protecting you!”

“ _What?_ That is not at all how I remember things!”

Evie’s laugh was light, as if she had not a single stress in the universe, and he smiled at that. “Who was always getting into trouble?”

“You and Scott were! You damn Ryder twins, don’t you put this on me!”

“Eh,” and though he couldn’t see her, he could imagine her waving her hand at him, dismissing the thought. Perhaps with a smirk on her lips. “We weren’t trouble.”

He took another drink, and raised an eyebrow, “You’re not a good liar.”

“I’ve also been drinking. Sue me.”

“Did we even bring lawyers to Andromeda?”

“God, I hope not, or Cora would be sending them all to me.”

“Should I know who Cora is?”

Evie cleared her throat, “Hold on a second.” The line went quiet on her side, and while he waited, he shifted his position. He downed the third drink, and instead of pouring another, he just grabbed the bottle in front of him. He stood up and wandered up the stairs to his bed, setting the bottle down on the side table, and allowing himself to fall into it.

All things considered; he was in a rather good mood. Things were going his way, the tides were turning, the Collective was gaining more followers and the Outcasts were seeing them as a real threat. A plan was already forming on how to take control from Sloane, but that track of thinking stopped when he heard Evie get back on the line.

“Hey. Are you still there?”

“Yeah, I took the time to pick a new location. You?”

“Same, kind of? I’m in my quarters on the Tempest. I wanted SAM to sound proof the room, make sure no one could hear me talking.” She sighed, “I get along with most of the crew, but some of them just know the wrong buttons to hit.”

“Who do you get along with?” He asked, leaning against his headboard.

“You?”

He laughed, “I’m not on your crew. What about Scott?”

Evie went silent for a moment, and it wasn’t until he heard her pick up a glass and drink that he even knew she was still there. “That’s right, I didn’t tell you. Uh, Scott is in a coma, kind of.”

He sat up a little straighter at that. “What?”

“Yeah,” She cleared her throat, “When we got into Andromeda, we hit the Scourge and it knocked around our cryo pods. Scott’s was damaged, and when they got him out,t hey had to put him under a medically-induced coma. He’s alright though, SAM is monitoring him. He’ll be up and about soon.”

“Shit. I didn’t know, I’m sorry.”

“Don’t be. I know when he wakes up, he’ll be happy to know you’re here.”

He picked the bottle back up, and looked at it, before taking a drink from it. “He’s welcome to visit Kadara at any time.”

She laughed at that, “What, no trips to the Nexus for you?”

“Oh, fuck no. I want nothing to do with _that_ shit show,” He chuckled, “It’s better for me here anyway.”

“Because of all the millions of exes you have?”

“Yep. That’s it. Good guess.”

“See, I’m smart.”

“Sure, Evie. If that is what you call it.”

“You know,” She said softly, “I wish you could see this view I have. There is just one giant window, overlooking the stars. It’s…beautiful. What I always dreamed of seeing.” She paused, “What’s your view like?”

Reyes shifted on his bed, to look out the window, “Sun is down, stars are out, you can see the moons. There’s a bit of a borealis effect going on. It’s pretty.”

“It sounds it. I wish I could see it.”

They fell silent again, him taking a drink from the bottle when he heard her do the same.

“I noticed that Liam fellow calls you Evelyn. Do they all do that?”

“Yeah, I guess. Drack calls me ‘Kid’, which is fine, he’s the ship grandfather. Most people call me Ryder, or Pathfinder. Vetra calls me a whole bunch of things. Liam is trying to call me by my first name because he’s trying to…” She sighed, “Ugh, he wants to date me? So, he thinks calling me by my first name is less formal than calling me by my title or last name.”

Reyes raised an eyebrow, “You hate your first name.”

She chuckled, “Yeah, well you and Scott are the only people in Andromeda who know that, and Scott is in a coma, and you’re on Kadara. Hey, do you think you would join me? If I asked?”

“On your crew? I’m considered an exile, Evie. That wouldn’t be wise.”

“So is Drack, but he’s with me.”

“He’s a Krogan.”

“So?”

“So, who is going to fight a Krogan?”

“Fair.”

“Besides,” He cleared his throat, and a feeling of guilt washed over him, as he set the bottle down on the side table, “There are things here that I need to do. But if I could…”

“Yeah. I know.”

The silence that fell between them felt uncomfortable and he worried he had said the wrong thing. His heart was lurching uncomfortably, pounding tightly against his chest. “Evie?” He asked, after a long time of silence, “Are you still there?”

He heard a sniffle, and then “Yeah, I’m still here. I think I should stop drinking though. Get some sleep.”

“Yeah, I should maybe do the same,” He paused. “Are you alright?”

He heard her sigh on her end, “I’m…honestly, I’m just lonely. And tired. I’ll be in Kadara in a week though.”

“Call me when you land, then. I owe you something.”

“You do?”

He smiled, “I do.”

Her voice sounded a little cheerier on her side when she spoke, “Like what?”

“If I told you…” He started, and he heard her laugh.

“It’d ruin the surprise. Yeah, I got it.” Her laugh subsided. “I’ll see you soon, Reyes. Goodnight.”

“Goodnight, Evie.”

The silence filled the room once more before his Omni-Tool beeped with a message.

When he looked at it, it was a message from her. She had sent him a photo of her sitting on her bed, with her hair down around her shoulder, and she held her hand up in a wave. Around her wrist, was his bracelet.

He saved the image immediately and told himself that he’d do whatever he could to see her like that in person.


	9. Chapter 9

“Sloane wants to have her killed, you know.”

“Who?”

Umi rolled her eyes, “The Pathfinder, you idiot. You know, the woman you keep making _eyes_ at.”

Reyes threw back the drink and set the glass down on the bar, “How do you know that?”

Umi raise an eyebrow and he sighed. He sent over credits for his drink, and for the information. She was worse than he was.

Once the payment went through, she shrugged her shoulders. “One of her guards was in with Kaetus. Sloane’s having another one of her stupid fucking parties that she wants me to bartend at. Guard told me Sloane isn’t too happy with little miss Pathfinder running around – says it’s making her look soft.”

It was Reyes’ turn to raise an eyebrow, “Sloane thinks the Pathfinder is making her look soft? All she does is sit on her throne all day.”

Umi threw her hands up and shrugged, “Hey, just telling you what I heard. Who knows if she’s going to actually go through with it? But thought you should know.”

“Thanks, Umi. When’s the party?”

“Tomorrow.” And that ended the conversation, because once more Umi walked away.

It hadn’t sounded like a real threat – Sloane didn’t go around making threats. If she wanted someone killed, if she wanted someone gone, she found a way. Even if it was someone as important as the Pathfinder; it would have already happened. He could chalk it up to hot air on the part of the guard, and the guard was most likely looking to cause shit anyway.

But still the information had given him an idea.

There were plenty of things, of course, that Sloane had taken off the Nexus. And he had been wanting some of what she smuggled for some time now. So what better time to than during a party, when she was unable to figure out it was missing?

If Evie wanted to come along, then that would be a bonus. He owed her something, after all. He promised.

He was full of promises but promises to Evie were the only ones he wanted to follow through on.

Quick on his feet and quicker on his Omni-Tool, he was typing a message to Keema to get on the list for the party, and she had replied that it had already been done.

_I thought I could finally meet your Pathfinder_ , she had replied quickly, _So I expect her to be invited, Reyes._

He hated, and loved, how much Keema could read him.

All it took then was a message to Evie to call him later in the evening, and he could invite her then. This was something he wanted to hear her voice for.

***

“Ryder,” He grinned, though she couldn’t see him – it was too risky to do a vid call, and he preferred it better this way for now. Seeing her in person would be far better than a vid call, where he could hardly make out facial expressions.

With all the technological changes they had made, vid calls still needed improvement.

“Reyes,” She replied, “You asked me to call you, what’s up?”

“How far out from Kadara are you, per chance?”

“I’ll land tomorrow morning. Why?”

“Something just fell into my lap. Sloane is throwing another one of her parties – VIP list, to keep Angara and other Outcasts happy. Lots of important people will be there, it could be good for you to mingle with them.”

“By myself?”

“You’d be going with me, of course. As my plus one.”

There was silence on her end of the call for a moment, and he wondered if he had pushed his luck. But, “Are you asking me out on a date?”

Oh, how his heart tightened when she asked that, and he felt like he was on fire. “I am. But don’t worry, I’ll be a complete gentleman.”

She laughed, and he suddenly wished he _had_ done a vid call, just to see her movements, even if they weren’t clear. “What if I don’t want you to be one?”

He inhaled sharply, “Oh, that can be arranged.” His mouth was dry, he needed a drink, and yeah, not being on video was _much_ better. For his own sake, and pride.

“Then I’ll see you tomorrow. Where and when should I meet you?”

“Outcasts base, 17:00.”

“I’ll see you then, Reyes.” He heard her give off a light chuckle, before the line disconnected.

He hated just how strange he had felt after the call, and he wondered if he was teasing himself, thinking there could be something more when there might not be a chance for anything else.

She was so integral to his past, and he wasn’t sure how she fit in with his future; let alone how he fit in with hers.

But he was a selfish man, and when he wanted something, he tried to do everything in his power to make it happen. Of course, that didn’t usually work with personal relationships. It didn’t work with er in the past, because he did his best to hide it.

He never wanted to have her think he was coming from a terrible place. He wanted her in his life, even if it had just meant friendship.

_“Reyes?” He hears her on the outside of his door, and he runs to open it. Her voice sounds off. Something is wrong._

_When he opens the door, he can see it right away. Her eyes are bloodshot from crying, her cheeks are patchy. He ushers her in quickly, and shuts the door behind her, his hands immediately going to her shoulders. “Evie, are you okay? What happened?”_

_“He broke up with me.” Her latest boyfriend, not at all someone that was good enough for her, both Scott and Reyes agreed on that much. An Ambassador’s son, entitled and elitist, too stuck in what Evie could do for_ him _than for what he could do for her. It had been, or so Reyes thought, a relationship of appearances. Evie’s father was N7, he was considered one of the best._

_“What? Why?” They still stood at the door, but she was holding her hands tightly together. She looked down at them._

_“It’s so stupid. And a long story. Dad was disbarred from the Alliance. So, he was kicked out of the N7s. When that happened, I apparently wasn’t ‘worth it’ anymore, and that was it.” Evie looked up, her eyes matching Reyes’, “I was nothing but a trophy girlfriend to him, and I didn’t even see it coming.”_

_She broke away from him and moved to sit down on the edge of his bed, “I am so fucking stupid. I should have seen the signs.”_

_“Evie,” Reyes sighed, moving to join her, sitting next to her. He held out his hand, an invitation, one that she took by putting hers in his. “You’re not stupid. You…seemed to like him. I have shit experience in it, but I’ve been told people look past the red flags when they’re…deep in it.”_

_She squeezed her hand around his and cleared her throat, “Yeah. Well, I wasn’t even that deep in it, and I didn’t see the fucking signs. Did you know he was also cheating on me?” She let go of his hand and scoffed. “I’m never going to let anyone make me look that foolish again.”_

_The rage he felt on her behalf was boiling to the surface, and he struggled to keep it in. “Do you want—”_

_“---Scott already punched him in the face, I don’t need you to do it too.”_

_“Good. But I would.”_

_“I know.” She sighed softly and shifted so she was leaning her head on his shoulder. “Do you mind if I stay here tonight? I don’t want to deal with my roommate.”_

_“Of course. You can have my bed.”_

_“You don’t have to do that, Reyes,” She said softly._

_He just laughed to lighten the mood, to remain the gentleman, the good person he wanted her to know he was. “Go pick a vid to watch. I’ll order us food.”_

_She lifted her head from his shoulder, and pressed a chaste kiss to his cheek, “Thanks,” before standing up._

He had never pushed and promised himself he wouldn’t. Any moves, if there were any, would be hers first to make. But lately, the signs had been there. She had been flirting with him, hadn’t she? Or was he just wishing to see that?

He liked how she looked at him. He liked how good it felt to be around her again.

And he found himself nervous about the prospect of tomorrow, and what it would bring.


	10. Chapter 10

“Evelyn Ryder, I’m the Human Pathfinder? I should be on the list. I’m _kind of_ a big deal, you know.”

Entering the base and hearing _that_ just made Reyes grin, walking up behind them, the Outcast guard claiming she wasn’t on the list.

Which, of course, was correct. She wasn’t.

“She’s with me,” He said smoothly, walking up to Evie, and winked at her. “Reyes Vidal.”

The guard nodded, and gestured for them to go in, and Reyes walked a little ahead of Evie, the smile still on his lips as she caught up with him. “Really?” She asked, “I don’t think that’s ever happened to me before – you being more important than me!”

He laughed, “Welcome to Kadara, Ryder, glad you could _finally_ join us.”

“Oh, shut up,” She replied, but grinned in return.

Keema, as expected, greeted them immediately when they walked in. It was Sloane’s territory, and while she viewed him as a second-class smuggler, he didn’t want to overstay his welcome. “Reyes! I was beginning to think you wouldn’t show.”

“Keema,” He grinned, “What did I tell you about ‘fashionably late’?”

“Oh shush,” She waved him off, “Introduce me to your beautiful companion.” Keema winked at him, and he was thankful he managed to keep his reaction under control, because Evie did not.

The blush to her cheeks was stunning, and it only made him grin more.

“Pathfinder, meet Keema Dohrgun, the Angaran representative to Sloane. And a dear friend.”

Evie grinned, a mischievous look as she looked from him to Keema, “I didn’t think Reyes had any friends outside of me, I’m glad he’s being social. He’s a shy one, you know.”

Keema laughed heartly, “Oh I _like_ you. And I was hoping he’d bring you, Pathfinder. You are all he talks about lately.”

His eyes went wide for the slightest of moments, as Evie turned to look back at him, a sweet smile on her lips, “Oh, is that so?” She wiggled her eyebrows in his direction, and he couldn’t help but laugh.

“I’m sorry to cut this short, but I have to take care of something. But please, mingle, and I’ll be back soon,” He said, winking at her as he turned to leave.

“You’re leaving me? Here?”

“You’ll be fine. It’s a party, after all!”

“Do you treat all your dates like this? Or am I special?”

That gave him pause, and he contemplated his answer for a moment, knowing they were still in front of Keema, who was watching with amusement. “You’re special, Ryder. Trust me.”

He took the chance when he could, moving out of the main room, and waiting for the guards to change their location before breaking into Sloane’s storeroom.

There was one drink that he would share with Evie and Scott back on the Citadel, and it was typically hard to come by. Harder now that they were 600 years away from any store that could possibly carry it again. He closed the door behind him and started to go through the cargo crates. Loaded to the brim with guns and ammunition, but it wasn’t anything he was interested in.

Not tonight, anyway. Perhaps later, but he had enough guns for his small army, and wouldn’t have a need for more if a war was avoided.

But he wasn’t thinking of work. Not tonight.

Of course, the crates were not labeled, and he had gone through ten of them, not realizing just how long he had been gone, about to check a crate on the higher levels, when the door opened.

His hand moved to his sidearm on his hip, but when Evie walked in, he relaxed.

“Seriously? You leave me there to do _work_?”

He jumped down from the ladder as she walked into the storeroom more, “It’s not for work, I’m finding something for _us_.” He said with a smirk, and Evie rolled her eyes.

“Why should I believe you?”

“When have I lead you astray, Evie?” He asked, only in time to notice that behind her, Evie had left the door open. And now there was a guard calling out to see if there was anyone in there, where they shouldn’t be. “Shit,” He muttered, “Guards. We need a distraction.”

Evie looked behind her to the door and looked back at Reyes, as he continued, “I can try to see if—” but he was cut off by a sensation that he hadn’t expected.

Evie’s lips were quick and hot on his, and the surprise of the kiss caught him off guard, but he quickly made up for it by wrapping his arm around her waist and pulling her tight into him. Her hand moved up to the base of his neck, as she kissed him a little more urgently, and he couldn’t believe his luck.

He almost didn’t hear the guard come in, see them, and run out.

But Evie had, and was the one to break the kiss and take a step back, leaving him a little wobbly. “Now that’s a distraction,” He grinned, “I think the coast is clear.”

“Mmhm,” She replied, her lips quirking up in a smirk.

He wanted to take a step back to her, to push her against the wall, to kiss her again with everything he had been holding back for years but had to remember where he was. There was a time and place for everything. Once he got what he needed, then maybe he could.

He went back up the ladder and opened the crate, to see exactly what he was looking for, and grabbed it. “Got it!” He jumped down off the ladder and held the bottle out for Evie to see.

And like he expected, she recognized it immediately, “ _Wait._ Is that a bottle of Mount Milgrom?”

“645 years old now, and the _only_ bottle of it in all of Heleus,” He winked.

She reached out for it, and he pulled it back, with a laugh. “You better share that!”

“I’m planning on it, but not here. Come on,” He grinned, and grabbed her hand with is free one, leading her out of the base before they could get caught again.

They were laughing the whole time as he led her through the port, to the docking bay where his shuttle was waiting. “Where are we going?” She asked, as he opened the shuttle door.

“I want to show you something that I haven’t shown anyone else,” He replied, “Do you trust me?” A loaded question, but something deep in him wanted to hear it. Wanted to know that Evie still…

“I do,” She said with a smile, as she got into the shuttle. He handed her the bottle to hold onto, and once he was behind the driver seat, they were off.

The ride was short, as he knew it would be, and with most of Kadara distracted, he was able to land the shuttle closer to his home than he normally was able to. There was still a bit of a walk though, so he got out of the shuttle first and held out his hand for Evie to take, as he carefully lead her through the hills to his little piece of privacy.

In a way, he was trying to make a point, even if she didn’t know it yet. Showing her a more intimate side to him that he wasn’t willing to share with anyone else. Bringing her to his home was risky, he knew. She was a public figure, easily distinguishable from others on the Port.

But she was also Evie. She was important to him, and he wanted them to have their privacy.

When they got into his place, they took off their jackets, and he took out two glasses for them. “A treasure like this, should be savored,” He said with a grin as he poured the glasses. He handed her one, as she stepped out to the balcony. He followed her, glass in one hand, bottle in the other.

The balcony he had, had two chairs, with a small table between the chairs, though Evie didn’t sit. She stood against the railing, looking at the view. He set the bottle down on the table, and stood next to her, their shoulders touching.

“To us,” She said, raising her glass to his, and he clinked his glass with hers. They both took a drink at the same time, and both made the same happy sound at how smooth it tasted, causing laughter to erupt from the two of them. “You know,” She said quietly after, “This might be the most normal thing that has happened to me since arriving here.”

She looked away from him and out at the surroundings, and he followed her gaze, taking another drink. “I know what you mean.”

“This view is…unbelievable. I’m surprised you were able to get a place like this here.”

He shrugged, “It’s easy, when it’s everyone for themselves,” a little white lie that didn’t need clarification. “I sometimes forget how beautiful it is here. I get so caught up in…” He trailed off, and he felt Evie nudge her arm against his.

“Yeah, same. It’s so easy to get caught up in everything and forget what is right in front of us,” She replied, turning to face him.

He followed her movements, leaning his side against the railing as he faced her. “Is Andromeda everything you hoped it would be?” He took another drink, watching her as he did so.

She laughed, taking another drink, “Not at all. It’s been rough. People are out to kill me, _all_ the time. Habitat 7 was…not the golden world we were told. Dad died. Scott is in a coma. I feel like I’m just…flailing my arms around hoping that someone will find me drowning and throw me a life vest. Or a brick to help me sink faster.” She sighed, and took another drink, and looked down at her glass.

“I seriously hope no one throws you a brick, I refuse to let you drown,” He said with a soft smile, and Evie reached out with her free hand, and held onto his. The slight contact, the touch, was like a pull as he took a step closer to her without realizing it.

“Somehow, I knew you’d say that,” She chuckled, moving to set her glass down on the table next to the bottle. When she returned to the balcony, she was closer to him than she had been before, her hand now gently resting on his arm. He took another drink, watching her, and attempting to calm his nerves. “When you walked into Kralla’s Song, that was…seeing you was the happiest that I’ve been since I woke up here.”

“Would you believe,” He started, “That I had no idea you were coming to Andromeda?”

Evie laughed at that, the laughter moving up to her eyes, “How? My dad was the damn Pathfinder!”

“I know,” He laughed, “But I didn’t think you and Scott would go with him. I didn’t know what you were up to those days.”

Her smile faded slightly, “Yeah, my life didn’t go as planned once we lost mom. I left the Alliance pretty close after, and Andromeda seemed like a good place to…start new.” She took his glass out of his hand, and took a drink from it, to which he pretended to be offended, before she set his glass down with hers. “Why did you come to Andromeda, anyway?”

It was a loaded question, and he had a loaded answer he could have given. But instead, as she returned to him at the balcony, he replied, “To finally be someone.”

He felt raw answering something so simple so honestly, and he wondered if she could sense that he felt almost nervous being that open; despite all the things he wasn’t saying, he was at least honest about this.

Instead, she softly replied, “You’ve always been someone to me.” She moved her hands up to her ponytail, and when her hands came back down, she held out the bracelet he had given her. “Always,” she repeated.

“I’m starting to think,” He said with a grin, as he closed his hand over hers holding the bracelet, “that kiss was more than just a distraction.”

“You’d be right,” She said, “Just a shame it took me 600 years to act on it.” She leaned forward then, her free hand moving up around his neck, her lips on his once more. A tender version to the kiss in the storeroom, but with more room to grow.

He took the bracelet out of her hand, and slipped it into her back pocket, before wrapping his arms fully around her, pulling her flush against him as he returned the kiss.

And when the kiss broke, she took his hand in hers and walked backwards leading him back into his home, him more than eagerly following her.


	11. Chapter 11

They didn’t make it far into his home before she walked back into something, specifically the kitchen island in the small room. He grinned, and lifted her up to island top, moving himself between her legs.

Her laugher was light and filled the room, and when he kissed her deeply, she moaned into the kiss. He felt her hands move to his shirt, and felt her move the fabric up – he broke the kiss so she could remove the rest of his shirt and toss it to the side before his lips were on hers again.

This wasn’t anything he wanted to stop. The overwhelming feeling of desire just pushing through him, getting harder to hide by the second; but this wasn’t anything he was going to hide from.

Evie wrapped her legs tightly around his waist from the angle she was at, and he slid his hands under the hem of her own shirt, the contact of his hands on her skin caused her to flinch. He broke the kiss again and looked at her, finding now he was afraid to move his hands, or his body, from her.

“Is everything alright?” He asked, eyes searching hers for an answer.

She nodded, “Yeah,” she spoke, her voice rough, “I just…I haven’t had anyone touch me in a long time.”

“We don’t have to do anything you don’t want to do,” He said, slowly starting to move his hands from her back, but her hands grabbed his wrists and put them right back where they were. Her legs pulled her into him more, and she grinned.

“I want you, Reyes. It’s just been a while,” She smirked, as she released her hold on his wrists, and took her shirt off, tossing it to the ground with his own.

With her shirt gone, his lips were on her neck, and her hands moved to his shoulders. As he kissed against her neck, her fingernails dug into his shoulders with slight pressure, and it caused a reaction from him. A moan bubbled out from his lips, pressed against her skin, as he muttered, “God, I want you, I have for years,” as he kissed his way back up her neck and capturing her lips in his once more.

The kiss very quickly grew passionate and needy, and she caught his lip between her teeth, tugging slightly. He laughed against her mouth, breaking the kiss before looking at her with a mischievous look.

“Hold on.”

“To what?” She asked, laughing.

“To me,” He said, as he wrapped his arms tightly around her and lifted her off the kitchen counter and towards the stairs to his bed.

Her legs wrapped tighter around his waist, and she held onto him tight. Her lips pressed against his cheek, before she tugged at his earlobe with her mouth, and her little breath-y giggle against his ear almost made him crash them both to the ground.

“ _Fuck_ , Evie, I’m going to drop you if you do that,” He laughed, getting them to the top of the stairs.

“Then you better get us to your bed then,” She replied, her voice barley above a whisper.

“Yes, ma’am,” he replied, dropping her to the bed, and she landed with a laugh.

Remaining clothes were tossed to the side, forgotten, as he joined her on the bed, her hands roaming his body, exploring him just as he did the same to her.

She was beautiful, everything that he had imagined, and yet so much better than that, and when she reached up to remove the band that held her hair up, Reyes made a sound he hadn’t expected to. Her hair fell down around her shoulders, and her hands moved up his arms, to wrap around his neck. To bring him closer to her, and who was he to deny her of such a thing?

He kissed down her body slowly, as she reacted to his movements, arching up to reach his touch, her body more welcoming to him the lower that he moved. Her gasps loudly into the room, her hand pulling on his hair, how she called out his name when she climaxed, he only wished he had a way to keep the memory forever.

But, as he found his way back up to her, she pushed against him, changing their positions, so that he was on his back looking up at her above him in the most glorious of light.

If he died right now, he’d die a happy man. He didn’t care how unbelievably cheesy the thought was, it was the god-honest truth. And for him, honestly wasn’t always easy to come by.

She shifted against him, and he groaned, impossibly aroused and begging for something, and when she leaned down to kiss him, he kissed her with that energy. Needing her, wanting her, not able to think of anything other than her.

He felt her hand on his member, stroking him, and he throbbed against her palm. He watched with wide eyes as she hovered over him, lining herself up with him, before she slowly sunk down on him. His hands moved up her thighs to hold onto her waist, and once he felt himself fill her up, both of them in unison moaned at the sensation.

He lifted his hips up against her, and she pressed him back down with her hands, a look in her eye saying that she was the one in control and he grinned. Who was he to say no?

She was agonizingly slow as she moved up and down him, riding him slowly before she started to pick up the pace – as she did, he thrust up into her, causing her to gasp loudly, and ride him _harder_ than before.

Arms moving to wrap tight against her, he moved to sit up so she was more accurately in his lap, kissing her as she moved around him, feeling his own climax building.

She gasped against his lips, whimpering that she needed release, and he shifted her to her back, his hand sliding between them to pleasure her while he thrust faster into her.

Evie went first, calling out his name, the erotic sound of it just about pushing him over the edge. “Evie, I’m…”

She nodded, “IUD, you’re good,” she nodded, and shifted against him, kissing him hard as he picked up the pace before he gasped out, her name on his lips, pressed against her own.

He stilled for a moment, slowly detangling himself from her, and collapsed next to her. There was a moment of silence before she laughed, and he turned to look at her, disheveled and beautiful, the real thing far better than anything his imagination could and would ever come up with. “What’s so funny?”

“I’ve wanted you for so long, I…did not imagine it would be that good,” She said, turning to him with a grin.

“You didn’t think it’d be good, huh?” He asked, teasing her right back, and she swatted at his chest.

“Shut up and go get us the whiskey. I’m thirsty,” She raised an eyebrow, and he laughed.

“Alright, whatever my lady wants, she gets.”

“Well, don’t take too long. I still want you.”

He grinned wildly, like his dreams had all come true. “ _Anything_ for you.” 


	12. Chapter 12

Once their glasses of water were drained, they took turns passing the bottle of whiskey back and forth to each other. His arm was around her shoulders as they sat up in their bed, the sheets covering them like an afterthought.

His hand resting on her shoulder kept playing with the strands of her hair that fell over his hand, and as he handed the bottle back to her, he pressed a kiss to her hair. “I like the new colors,” He said against it, as she took a drink and rested the bottle in her lap.

“Vetra and Peebee did it. It was a good change, I needed something new.” She turned and looked at him, “I realized they remind me of the sunsets here.”

He chuckled, “I was going to say that. You keep stealing my lines, Ryder.”

“You need to get more original ones, Vidal,” She replied easily and leaned in to kiss him. She tasted of whiskey, and he hummed against her lips before it parted. She passed the bottle back to him, and he took another drink before setting it down on the table on the side of the bed. “I wanted to ask you something.”

“Hmm?” He said, pressing a kiss to her shoulder before looking at her, “What’s on your mind?”

“Something you said earlier. That you wanted me for years…”

“Yeah?”

“Is that true?”

“Yes.”

“Then why did we lose touch all those years?”

He raised an eyebrow, “You’re the one who stopped correspondence, Evie. Not me. I figured you were off doing grand things with the Alliance, and I didn’t want to distract you from that.”

“I…that’s not true,” She said softly, “I wrote you every year. I kept hoping you’d reply but I never got anything back.”

“What?” He shifted, sitting up a little more, his hand slipping from her shoulder. “I never got anything from you. At all.”

She sighed, “That explains it. God, I thought you…wanted nothing to do with me.”

He took her hand in his, and lifted it to his lips, kissing it. “I think you know that’s not true.”

Evie rolled her eyes, and laughed, “Yeah, I know that _now_. Scott kept saying that I had to keep the faith, but he couldn’t find you either. He said he looked.”

“I never knew any of that,” Reyes quietly said, and sighed. “I…didn’t stay in the Alliance after you left for training, I went a different direction.”

“To where?”

“Information gathering,” He carefully worded, the hesitance in his voice coming through.

Evie, of course, caught it, and poked at his side, “Reyes…”

He sighed, “I was a Shadow Broker Agent,” He finally gave in.

“Seriously?” She asked, shifting so she was leaning on his chest. He wrapped an arm around her waist, and took the opportunity again to play with her hair. “Did you ever meet the Shadow Broker? I always wondered who they were.”

“No, it was all through encrypted channels. No face to the title, I just got my orders from representatives,” It wasn’t until the words were out of his mouth that he realized just how close things were to the Collective and his work now, and hoped that Evie wouldn’t catch onto that too.

“Sounds like the Charlatan tried to learn a few things from the Shadow Broker,” She said with a thoughtful look on her face, and he shrugged.

Of course she’d immediately make the connection.

“Maybe. I honestly wouldn’t know.”

“So, you’re not in the Collective?” She teased.

He wondered if her AI could read his body language, but also hoped she had commanded it to disengage, considering. “Would you be mad if I was?”

She shook her head, and he found himself mentally sighing in relief, “No, they seem better than the Outcasts, at least. But you’re a free agent, I doubt the Resistance would want you working with any of the locals here.”

How wrong she was. How very wrong she was.

“Hmm, is that really what you want to talk about right now?” He teased, gently pushing the conversation to a new topic, “When we could be doing so much more?”

She raised an eyebrow and shifted so she was straddling him once more. “Why?” She asked, grinning, and the previous conversation was effectively lost, “Was there something that you wanted?”

“You,” He replied easily and truthfully, hands moving over her, “Always you.”

A kiss sealed the deal.

***

When he woke up, he wondered if everything that had happened had been a dream. That he had imagined the night before.

But the bed shifted next to him, and he saw Evie, still sleeping, looking peaceful. And he knew it wasn’t a dream.

Gently, he reached over and tucked some of her hair behind her ear and kissed her forehead before getting out of bed. He moved slowly, careful not to wake her, as he slipped on his pants and headed into the kitchen.

He wasn’t much of a cook, but he had enough rations that could make a breakfast, and the water on Kadara was getting better, though still not enough to drink outright. He grabbed a bottle of water from the refrigeration unit, and headed back upstairs, to find Evie already stirring in the bed.

“Good morning,” He said, sitting back against the bed, watching her as she sat up, and pulled the sheets up to her chest.

“I thought I dreamed everything,” She said softly, and smiled at him. “I’m glad that I didn’t.”

He handed her a bottle of water, and a rations pack, “Same here. Sorry, I don’t have a lot of food here, I usually don’t stay here long.”

She nodded in thanks, taking a drink from the water bottle, “Don’t worry, I mostly just have packs on the ship too, I hardly ever cook anything. I try, but I get bored easily.”

Reyes laughed, “I remember.”

“Oh, ouch.”

“You’re very good at burning popcorn.”

“Hey! I’m also fantastic at somehow setting kitchens on fire, I will have you know.”

He laughed heartly, “I remember that too. Did Scott ever forgive you for that?”

She smirked, “Yeah, once he got the insurance check from the accident.” She grinned as she moved from the bed, letting the sheets fall and pulled her underwear back on, and grabbed her t-shirt. “I wish I could stay here with you,” she replied honestly, “I still feel like there’s so much I need to tell you.”

He set his water bottle and pack down, and stood up, crossing over the room to her. “I know the feeling.” There was still so much to tell her. So much to say, so much to do.

“Are you sure you can’t come with me?” She asked quietly.

“Are you sure you can’t stay here?” He replied.

Both of them already knew their answers.

He helped her get dressed and gather her things, and when they were ready to depart, he brought them over to the shuttle, still a bit away from his home. They walked hand in hand, stopping to kiss, causing the walk back to the shuttle to take far longer than it should have.

It was alright, because it felt like he was trying to either convince her to stay, or convince himself to go, and he couldn’t tell which one was more difficult to say no to.

They rode back in the shuttle in silence, docking back at the Port without any fuss from anyone else. In the distance, the Tempest was still docked, waiting for its Pathfinder to board once more.

“Evie,” He said quietly, as he escorted her off the shuttle, but he couldn’t find the rest of his words.

“Reyes,” She replied, with a smile, as she kissed him softly, “Don’t worry, I’m staying in touch. You’re not getting rid of me that easily.”

“Good,” He replied, and took the chance to kiss her again, onlookers be dammed. “I don’t want to lose this feeling.”

He watched as she moved to take the elastic around her wrist and pulled her hair back up in her high ponytail, and she took his bracelet out of her back pocket where he had placed it the night before.

He took the bracelet from her hand, and instead of wrapping it around her hair, he wrapped it around her wrist, and then kissed it. When he looked up, there was a blush to her cheeks, which only made him smile more.

“This way, it’s not ‘out of sight, out of mind’,” He teased, and she rolled her eyes.

“After last night, that’s not going to be out of mind _any_ time soon.” She took his hand in hers and squeezed before she headed off towards the Tempest.

“What,” he called out after her, “No goodbye?”

She looked back to just grin and wink at him and walked away with a little more sway of her hips, fully knowing he was watching her walk away.

He shook his head in amusement. She was trouble, and just what he needed.


	13. Chapter 13

_> > Pathfinder at the base. >> Found Dorado was passing off her own orders as Charlatan. >> Pathfinder removed Dorado from the equation. >> All business remains operational. >> END TRANSMISSION. _

He had been at Tartarus, finalizing his plans for the next step when the transmission from one of his high-ranking operatives came in.

The message would return to the operative as received, and indication that he read it, but he would not reply to it. There wasn’t really much to reply to.

Though, there was the question as to why Evie would choose to, in her public role of Pathfinder, help the Collective. And, by extension though she didn’t know it, him. 

There was also the interesting note that she was on Kadara, but hadn’t let him know she was back.

It had been two weeks since their last meeting, since their date, and he had done his best to try to keep some distance – there were a lot of people counting on her, and she couldn’t afford the distractions.

For him, it was easier to voice it that way, when he was so desperately fighting the instinct, he had to drop everything and join her. He wanted to. Desperately. Why that was now his instinct, he wasn’t sure. Conflicting desires were not doing wonders for his psyche.

But just as he was set to leave his private room and head home for the night, the doors opened and in walked Evie.

He stood from his seat, and smiled, “Pathfinder, I didn’t expect you to come by,” He waited for one of her crew to walk in with her, but when no one did, he grinned wider. “I’m glad you did.”

She waited for the door to shut, but once it did, they were in each other’s arms quickly, kissing each other as if they had not seen each other in years. The level of desire that she gave off almost knocked him over, and he continued to grin when it parted. “Hey.”

“Hey,” She replied back, “I’m only here for a few more hours. Too many things to take care off on this planet, including the Kett, apparently.”

“The Kett?” He questioned, “Did I hear you correctly? Sloane claims she ran them all off the planet.” And if it wasn’t true, this was information he could use to his advantage.

Evie shook her head, her hand resting on her hip, “Apparently not enough. Kaetus had me look into it, and him and Sloane joined me at their hidden base in a cave.” She shrugged, “We took them out, got _no_ thank you from Sloane, that woman is fucking _impossible_ to deal with.”

He nodded, “She is. It’s why so many people don’t like living under her rule. Anything that comes to the station, goes to her and her Outcasts, the rest of us get scraps, if anything at all.”

“Speaking of people who don’t like her, I also ran into the Collective.”

A fact he already knew. “How’d that go?”

“I found one of their bases in the mountains, and unlike the others on the planet, these ones didn’t shoot at me.”

He made a mental note to investigate the members that were shooting at her after his explicit orders not to do so, but brought his full attention back to her. “That’s…good?” He laughed, “That’s good, right?”

She laughed in reply, “Yeah, I’m just not used to people _not_ shooting at me. How fucked up is that?”

“ _Very_ ,” He teased. “And where are you off to after this?”

“Finalizing another outpost on Elaaden, and chasing down a lead for the Salarian Ark. You won’t see me again for…I don’t know how long this time, Reyes.” Her voice seemed sad, her expression the same, as she sighed.

“Then, we will make the most of the time we have now,” He said, wrapping an arm around her waist, and pulled her tight against him. “Though, this armor is going to have to go.”

They grinned.

***

_CHARLATAN ORDERS_

_> >Investigate rotating order of guards on Kaetus and Sloane. Get schedules. >>Investigate other Kett movement on Kadara. Check feeds for Pathfinder’s last outing, dated 2 solar days ago. >>Maintain all other business. >>Reports due by end of next solar day._

_***_

_TAFENO (HNS) - Salarian Ark Located_

_The Initiative has found the salarian ark. Reports suggest the Paarchero was intercepted by kett forces in the Tafeno System. Reached for comment, officials refused to provide any details on the status of the ark or its inhabitants. But they do confirm the salarian Pathfinder has died. Amid confusion and questions, the Nexus now braces for a potential influx of salarian settlers._

_***_

_Reyes,_

_I’m sorry I haven’t been in touch, so much has been happening. But I have a surprise for you._

_I know you most likely don’t want to come to the Nexus, in fact I’m not even sure if you can. So, since you can’t…let me know when you’re free for a call. I have someone who wants to talk to you._

_Also, I miss you. Though, think that goes without saying._

_Talk soon._

_Evie._

_Evie,_

_Do not apologize, you’re doing things that are helping thousands of people. I hope that I can live up to that one day. I’ve been busy here myself; I understand._

_It’s not that I don’t want to go to the Nexus…okay, it is exactly that I don’t want to go back to the Nexus, but I’m considered an Exile. They’d shoot me on sight, even with you as my guide. I don’t want to cause any issues for you, more than what your collaboration with me might already be doing._

_I’m free tonight, if you are. I’m interested to see what you have in store._

_I miss you as well. The night is different without you, but I have a very active imagination._

_R._

_Hey you,_

_I’m glad your imagination is keeping up with you, I wonder if it matches mine._

_17:00 tonight. I’ll call you then._

_E._

_***_

At exactly 17:00, she called. He assumed she would be on time, and he found himself more than excited to hear her voice. Things were progressing so nicely on Kadara, all the right seeds had been planted – all he had to do was say the word and the final push would go into motion.

But he had better things to focus on this exact moment, as her voice played into his ear. “Hey you.”

“Hey yourself,” He replied, “Right on time.”

“Old habit. But before you get all _innuendo_ with me, know that I have someone here with me,” She laughed.

The other voice picked up, “Yeah, and I don’t want to hear how you want to sleep with my sister, even though it took you 600 years to finally make a fucking move!”

His eyes widened, and he could not hide his happiness in his voice, “Scott? Is that you?”

“Who else would be giving you shit?” Scott laughed, and in the background, Reyes heard Evie laugh as well. “Evie says you’re on a pirate planet. Do you all wear eye patches?”

Reyes laughed hard, “You know that’s not the type of pirate that she’s talking about.”

“Eh, I just got out of a coma, let me have my damn fun, asshole.”

“But where is _my_ fun in that?”

“I think,” Evie piped up, “Your fun is with me.”

Scott groaned in faux disgust, “God dammit, get a room, but not this one, I can’t leave this bed yet.”

“Wouldn’t dream of ruining your sanctuary, Scott,” Reyes smirked, despite knowing neither twin could see it. “Sorry I’m not on the Nexus to say hello in person.”

“Eh, don’t worry about it. E filled me in on the shitshow that is this station. But once I’m able to, I’m going to hop a shuttle and come visit. We should catch up, since I’ve apparently missed a lot of things…” There was a change in his tone, and Reyes could only assume that Scott was giving Evie a look.

“Oh, shut up, Scott.”

“You shut up.”

“I wasn’t even saying anything!”

“SAM, tell her to shut up. _Yes_ , I know she wasn’t saying anything. She was _thinking_ it!”

“Scott!”

The bickering continued and Reyes cleared his throat on the other end, “Is it weird to say I, in a _very_ pathetic way, missed your terrible bickering?”

Both Ryders laughed, and he heard Scott snort at the end, and Evie sigh happily. It was perhaps one of the more normal moments he had experienced lately, considering.

More of his past was just coming up for air, and he was pushing forward with his future. A sinking feeling in his chest told him that one wrong move could mess everything up.

He didn’t want to mess everything up.

“Okay, listen lover boy, I’m going to pass out again soon, so I’ll leave you with Evie. But I’m going to visit you, so get all your single friends lined up. Make sure they’re my type,” Scott laughed, and if Reyes was there, he was certain he’d see Scott’s smirk.

“So, anything with legs. Got it,” was Reyes’ reply, and he heard Scott laugh.

“You got it! Talk soon, Vidal.” The line went quiet for a little bit, though Reyes heard some shuffling around before Evie came back on the line.

“I told you I had a surprise for you. What did you think?” She asked, her voice quieter now. He wondered where she was, if she was walking through the halls of the Hyperion, or where she was.

“It was, I didn’t expect that at all, I’m glad Scott is doing okay. I know you were worried. I was too, but don’t tell him that.” He finally stood up from his couch and walked out to the balcony, leaning on the railing, and looking out to the land below. In the distance, he could see a shuttle coming and going from the base, the final preparations happening, waiting for the trigger to be pulled. “Where are you now?”

“Pathfinder quarters on the Hyperion. I don’t want to go back to the Tempest right now, not when Scott has only just woken up.” He heard a door open and shut through the voice feed and heard her sigh. “SAM, you know what to do.”

Reyes didn’t hear the AI respond, but after a moment, he heard Evie again. “This was my dad’s office. It is weird to be here. And after everything that I’ve learned, I seriously question everything about the Initiative. If I’m honest, I wish I could just leave.”

Was that an opening? Something he had been waiting for? “What’s stopping you?”

“There’s something with the Remnant that we’re tracking down. And if the Archon and the Kett are still the force they are, I can’t really stop what I’m doing and say _welp, you guys are on your own!_ ” Evie’s laugh was half-hearted, before she sighed again once more. “But maybe when it’s all done, or in a good place…maybe I’ll be allowed to walk away.”

“If that’s what you want,” He said, turning and leaning his back against the railing, looking back into his home, “Then I hope that’s what you get.”

“Thanks. Where are you now?”

“Home. Specifically, on the balcony.”

“Not in bed?” She teased, “I’m disappointed.”

Reyes smirked, “Why, Evie, did you want to turn this into a video call? We could make it interesting.”

She snorted, “Lets save the sexy times for in-person, killer.”

“You’re no fun,” He laughed.

“I’m plenty of fun. But _god_ , I am so tired. You would not _believe_ what I’ve been up to and what I’ve seen.”

“Try me,” He challenged, heading back inside and shutting the door behind him.

Four hours later, once the conversation finally died down a little, and Evie mentioned she was tired, they signed off for the night. Everything that she had seen and done, the battles she had fought, the things she had accomplished, she deserved a break. He wished he could be the one to give it to her.

Once things were done here, maybe he could. Once Sloane was gone.

“The crew has wanted to go back to Kadara soon, I might be on the way to you. Once I get back on the Tempest,” She said, her voice layered with sleep.

“I’ll hold you to that,” He replied, and he heard her sigh with content.

“I’m hoping you will. Goodnight, Reyes.”

“Goodnight, Evie.”


	14. Chapter 14

It was rare that the Charlatan would come out of the shadows. He never did it before, it was never really something he _liked_ to do, but this called for it.

Sloane was off doing business on the other side of Kadara, leaving Kaetus in charge of the base.

It was just a damn shame that the Collective had already turned all of the guards against the Outcasts and Sloane. Such a _damn_ shame.

In the dark of night, when the Port wasn’t as busy, he enabled a cloak via his Omni-Tool as he walked into the base. Beneath the cloaking, he wore a mask, hiding his identity. But it was going to be enough proof that the Charlatan was more than an idea. He was real.

It was more than what the Shadow Broker had ever really done in the Milky Way, but that had worked there. This, this was _different_ and if he was going to take over the so-called pirate planet of Heleus, he needed to get it moving now.

The doors to the main room opened by the guards, who all walked into the room, Reyes following behind them. Once the door was shut, he locked the door behind them.

Kaetus stood up and looked at the Outcasts guards, “What is going on?”

The four guards started in towards Kaetus, and as he backed up more against Kadara’s throne, Reyes uncloaked himself.

“ _You_ ,” Kaetus growled, and he reached for his gun, only to have his arms held back by the guards. Another took Kaetus’ weapons and tossed them over to Reyes. Kaetus struggled against the hold, “You’re the Charlatan, _aren’t you_ ,” he hissed, but Reyes didn’t respond.

He wasn’t going to.

He just looked to the guards who were not on Kaetus yet and nodded.

“This is how you show loyalty to Sloane?” Kaetus yelled, “You turn traitor?”

One of the guards laughed roughly, “Shut up, Kaetus, you’re not the winning side. And Sloane, well she’s a piece of shit.”

The first punch landed on Kaetus, and then they just kept coming. Reyes stood by and watched as they beat him to an inch of his life, and Reyes cleared his throat.

The guards stopped, Kaetus unconscious and bleeding on the floor, and Reyes walked up to him.

He pulled out of his jacket a written letter – paper, not data pad that could be hacked, with nothing else traceable on it. A note for Sloane to come to a meeting point, to end this. No one else needed to be hurt, if she just played along.

He let the note drop onto Kaetus’ chest and headed for the door. He unlocked it with his Omni-Tool, and the Outcast guards followed him out into the main hallway, where six of his best operatives were waiting.

Crux, one of his favorites stepped forward. “Thank you, gentlemen, your services have been most helpful to the Charlatan,” she grinned. “They will no longer be needed.”

The Outcast guards were unable to protest, as all four of them swiftly got shot through the temple by the Collective operatives, and fell to the ground, dead.

Crux looked to ‘the Charlatan’, still masked, still not speaking, and she nodded. “We need to clean this up, as if nothing happened. Dispose of the bodies.”

Reyes nodded, and cloaked himself once more, taking the back entrance out of the Outcast base and went into the Slums, before taking back tunnels and caves to a safe location.

By the time Sloane returned to the base, he and his Collective would be long gone. But she’d know what happened, and who did it.

He made sure of it.

By the time the rumors had spread that Sloane’s men turned on her, Reyes was returning home after completing a job that had been waiting for far too long. The Client was getting annoyed, and he was not about to let his Clients get upset.

His home was a private retreat, where he could relax before he knew what tomorrow would bring.

He could relax knowing this time tomorrow, Kadara Port would be theirs. Because there was nothing standing in their way now. With nothing standing in their way, peace could be restored to Kadara. The Angara could be happy on Port again. Exiles would still be fighting amongst each other, of course, but there would be more supplies to go around.

Hell, he could even work with Evie, see if she wanted an outpost on the planet. Trading with the Nexus and the Port might be one of the more lucrative business decisions he could have made within his first few days.

Maybe, once everything was in his control, he could see Evie more too. Travel a bit off planet – though never to the Nexus, never there. Perhaps he could go with her for some time, see what the rest of Heleus had to offer. It could be a possibility. He could truly have the life that he had always dreamed of.

It was so close in his grasp, that he could taste it.

It wouldn’t be easy. But it would be worth it, and it would be theirs. Kadara Port was going to be under Collective rule, he would see to it.

And, hopefully he would be able to keep his secret. He hated to keep something like the Charalatan from Evie, but it was for the best. Because she wouldn’t see him the same anymore if he told her the truth. She wouldn’t light up when she saw him, she wouldn’t speak to him in soft whispers, she wouldn’t kiss him as deeply or at all. She wouldn’t look at him like she did now; with what his heart dangerously told him might be love.

It would be hell to keep that secret, but it would be for the best of the port. For the best of his…whatever it was with Evie.

And if it wasn’t, he wasn’t quite sure what he would do with himself.

But for now, he had to keep his eyes on the prize.

Tomorrow.

Just one day left.


	15. Chapter 15

The sniper was ready and in position. Was it exactly fair that he was doing this, playing a game against Sloane? Perhaps not, but Sloane wasn’t known for playing fair, and at this point he wasn’t either.

There was nothing fair about Kadara. It was cruel and unrelenting, and despite that Reyes loved it and called it home willingly. Or rather, called it home once he realized the best he was going to do was here. And he was doing rather well for himself, things were looking up.

As long as today went as it was planned to go, Kadara would be his by sunset. Everything he had been working towards was at his grasp.

“We’re all set,” Jonah spoke through the comm in Reyes’ ear, “I’m all set and I have a clear view of everything.”

“Good. When you see the shot, take it. I won’t be giving you the order.”

“Understood.”

“Going radio silent but speak if you need me.” Reyes looked across the way towards Jonah as he settled in for the wait, the sniper rifle at the ready.

All they had to do now, was wait.

At the waiting time, Jonah commed in to give an update. “Sloane is here. But she brought a guest.” He didn’t wait for Reyes to ask, as he continued, “The Pathfinder is with her.”

Reyes’ chest felt tight suddenly, and his eyes went wide. Thankful that Jonah could not see his reaction, he rested his hand on his chest. He leaned against the large rock he was hiding behind and closed his eyes. This was not what he wanted to happen. This was not how he wanted Evie to find out.

He wasn’t sure he ever really wanted Evie to find out at all. Everything was about to change and suddenly he wasn’t sure if it was something that he could handle.

The footsteps in the cave were getting louder, closer. The sound of boots on the gravel and sand below, and he positioned himself still in the shadows, so he could watch them.

Sloane looked as she always did; annoyed, inconvenienced by being here, but there was something else in her eyes. Scared. What they had done to her second, they could do to her. She knew today was a means to an end as well.

Evie, on the other hand, he couldn’t read. Her hand was on her pistol, though it was aimed down, her finger not at all close to the trigger. Acting almost as if she was Sloane’s bodyguard.

Was she? Was she siding with the Outcasts? Did he read this entire thing incorrectly?

But he couldn’t stop now. He couldn’t hold back.

And so, he stepped into the light. "You look like you're waiting for someone.” He walked to the edge of the level he was on, his hands by his side.

Sloane looked annoyed. But Evie looked…

"Reyes?" There was no hiding the surprise in her voice, then hurt.

Sloane on the other hand, was annoyed. Exactly what Reyes had been expecting, and he decided he would focus on that. "I'm here for the Charlatan, not some third-rate smuggler,” she huffed, before rolling her eyes.

Evie’s voice was quiet, “They're one in the same."

He didn’t know how to react to that, he didn’t want to show his cards in front of Sloane, but it was getting dangerously close to not being able to hide them. The way that Evie looked at him, the way it registered to Sloane as she looked to the two of them, there was no way back. So, he held his head high, and with flourish, bowed, " _Surprise._ "

He grinned, more for Sloane’s benefit, but Evie was just staring at him. No longer the expression of hurt was registering, but instead something else entirely.

"This whole time, you've been lying to me"

His smile dropped immediately, his heart jumping to his chest, “Not about everything. You know who I really am Who I’ve always been."

“Your lovers quarrel is fantastic, really, but I’m getting bored,” Sloane shook her head and stepped forward towards him, “You said you wanted to 'settle things'. How?”

He ignores the look that Evie has on her face, and he focuses on Sloane. How things are getting so wildly out of hand, he doesn’t want to think about it. There’s a task at hand, there is a sniper at the ready, and everything is _just_ within his grasp. So with dramatic flourish, he jumps down and smirks at Sloane. "A duel. You and me. Right now. Winner takes Kadara Port."

Reyes half expects Evie to say something snarky, perhaps that having a shootout isn’t going to prevent a war, but she just crosses her arms over her chest, and she leans against a large rock formation.

Sloane scoffs, confidence in her words, fury in her glare, "I'll take those terms."

He lets himself half smile, because Sloane’s ego is getting in the way. And how he imagined this in his head, was that the two of them, like this, she’d be taken down instantly. But with Evie here, things have changed. Appearances need to be made. The more he thinks about it, the more he realizes he’s trying to put on a show now for _Evie’s_ sake.

As if he’s still trying to impress her, in a last ditch effort to keep her by his side when this is all over.

They circle each other, hands at their sides, hovering near their pistols. His heart is racing, waiting for Jonah to take the shot. Sloane’s fingers are twitching, she’s getting anxious, and as they make another round circling each other, he sees the light hit Jonah’s gun.

Sloane doesn’t see it, but he can tell Evie does.

He waits for her to move, to knock Sloane out of the way, but as the shot rings out and Sloane falls down dead, all Evie does is uncross her arms and push herself off the rocks.

Reyes raises and eyebrow, and smirks, finger gunning Sloane with a “ _Bang”_ , and blowing away the imaginary smoke.

Jonah appears, jumping down, “Orders?”

“Get her out of here. Prepare the crew. Kadara Port is ours tonight."

Jonah nods, and grabs Sloane’s lifeless body, carrying her out of the cave.

There’s an overwhelming feeling that comes over Reyes, and if he was alone he would have allowed it to wash over him, he would have allowed the stress leave his shoulders and fall away. He’d feel better, he’d feel a little more at peace.

But instead, he just feels more tense, and needs air, walking towards the nearest clearing.

Evie, of course, follows him. "Guess you got everything you wanted,” she says, her voice hinting only a small piece of hurt, but he knows her well enough to know she’s hiding more.

He sighed, and turned to face her, "What I want is peace. Sloane would've brought war to Heleus. She wanted to go against the Nexus, take control for herself, and then take the fight to the Kett and Angara. We don't have the population to survive that.”

She stands next to him, but she doesn’t come so close that she can touch him, and he’s very aware of this fact. Because _he_ wants to touch her, he wants to hug her, he wants _something_ but his heart tells him it’s not going to happen. “The Collective was going against that?”

“Yes,” He nods, “It started as…just myself, honestly. Then I needed help, and it built from there. We’re still smugglers, murderers, thieves…but it’s to get the job done, to protect the people here. Dealing in—”

“—information.” She finished for him, and she turned to look at him then, “Like an Andromeda-Style Shadow Broker.”

He doesn’t reply, because he doesn’t have the words. He shrugs his shoulders.

The silence that falls between the two of them is not the comfortable one that he’s used to. It’s worse. Much worse.

Evie takes a sharp breath, and there is finally contact, as she shoves her hand hard against his chest, "Why didn’t you trust me?” She asks, and the force of the push causes him to take a few steps back.

“I do trust you, Evie,” he starts, but it gets him another shove, though not as hard as the last one.

“Just not with this!” She’s upset. She’s angry. And he’s upset that he’s the one who did this to her.

_Fuck._

“I was scared!” He finally admitted, throwing his hands up in defeat, “All of this was in motion for almost a year before you showed up, and when you did…” His voice trailed off, as he lowered his hands slowly, and dared himself to take a few steps towards her. She didn’t move. “Seeing you again, finally _being_ with you after all these years, it was like a dream come true. I…I liked the way you looked at me.” He swallowed hard, “If I told you the truth, I was…afraid that would change things.”

The silence was deafening. Her reaction, staring at him with wide eyes, and he dared to take another step, his hand reaching out for hers, “Did the truth change things between us?” He asked, suddenly not caring about anything other than what was in front of him. What he might lose.

“I want to tell you nothing changed,” Evie said quietly, “And what kills me, is that it’s not the whole business of the Collective or even killing Sloane in front of me that changed things. It’s that you didn’t trust me. Reyes…we’ve known each other for most of our lives. And seeing you again, I finally felt like someone I truly and fully trusted was with me on my side. When so much of this damn galaxy is trying to force me to be one thing or another.”

“Evie, I’m not trying to force you to be anything.”

“No, you’re not. That part is true. But I’ve always been myself with you. You…didn’t think you could give me the same,” She sighed.

She stepped away from the clearing, and away from him, starting to walk out of the cave, and he chased after her. “Evie, wait!”

“Reyes, I need time to think.”

“I—”

“I need to set up an outpost here, you’re going to let me do that right?”

“Yes, of course, I want that as much as you do.”

“Who should I work with?”

“What?”

“You’re not who I’m going to work with, so who should I work with?”

His heart sank, and his expression fell. He cleared his throat, and forced himself to stand a little straighter. “Keema is going to be my front.”

“Then I’ll go to her.” Evie cleared her throat and stopped walking, turning to look at him once more. “I’ll…be in touch. When I’m ready to be.”

This time when she walked away, he didn’t go after her. There wasn’t a point.

He had to focus on the other task at hand; Kadara Port needed his full attention. Even if he now just wanted to throw it all away to turn back time.

_Fuck_.

***

The problem was that things never got better than they had been before that night in the cave.

Kadara Port continued to thrive, and Reyes did his part to make sure that everything Evie built for the outpost would stay protected.

But she never got in touch again.

He followed her on the news, got his information from Scott who only begrudgingly gave it to him. But the truth was clear – there would be no happy ending here.

There was no gesture of begging for forgiveness on his side, because it had never been his style – despite every part of him begging to make amends.

There was no reaching out from Evie – the Pathfinder – because she was too busy with Port Merdian, she was too busy exploring more of Andromeda, she was too busy to bother with simple tasks of Kadara anymore.

The truth was far worse – a trust had been broken.

He had made a choice, and he hadn’t benefited from it. He couldn’t allow himself to be miserable, he had to move forward. So, he did.

Weeks turned into months. Months turned into a year.

Whatever happy ending he might have wanted, had left long ago, disappearing in the mess of taking over Kadara and making it a more profitable port than before.

After a while, he didn’t even miss Evie anymore. He stopped speaking to Scott, he just focused on what his life was before realizing both of them were even in Andromeda anymore.

But sometimes, when he was alone, when he let his mind wander, he thought back to his choices in that cave. He thought back to how things could have gone differently had he told her the truth. He thought of the night they spent at his home in the mountains, where nothing outside of the walls mattered. IT had been only them, the happiness they felt, the freedom of finally being able to just _be._

And one day, maybe she would walk into the base in the port, greet Keema and ask for Reyes instead. One day, maybe she would wander into the bar, walk into his private room, and it would be like nothing changed.

Until then, he’d carry on.


End file.
